[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 130 (Friday, July 5, 1996)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Page 35587]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17436]



[[Page 35585]]


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Part VII





The President





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Proclamation 6908--A National Month of Unity, 1996
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  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 130 / Friday, July 5, 1996 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 35587]]

                Proclamation 6908 of July 1, 1996

                
A National Month of Unity, 1996

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our Nation was founded by people who sought the right 
                to worship freely, and religious liberty is enshrined 
                in our Constitution as the ``first freedom'' granted by 
                our Bill of Rights. The United States is now the most 
                multi-ethnic, multi-religious democracy in history, and 
                we must preserve this precious freedom while making the 
                most of our diversity. Ours is a great and noble 
                struggle to make our national voice a chorus of unity--
                varied by differing intonations, but carried and lifted 
                by a rich harmony.

                The recent rash of arson attacks against black churches 
                and other houses of worship is a stark reminder that 
                our work to build common ground is far from over and 
                that our progress can be threatened by forces that tear 
                at the very fabric of our society. It is hard to think 
                of a more heinous act than the destruction of a sacred 
                structure. The violence that charred and defaced these 
                buildings challenges our fundamental right to worship 
                in safety, and has left us grim emblems of the hatred 
                and alienation that too often darken our daily 
                experience.

                And so we must look into our hearts as America 
                approaches the new century, pledging to devote our 
                energies to reinvigorating the shared values that will 
                enable us to embrace the future together. We must never 
                go back to the terrible days of racial and ethnic 
                division, nor can we afford to dismiss our problems by 
                ascribing them to isolated groups or areas of the 
                country. Instead, let us join hands to lighten our 
                burdens and build bridges among people and communities 
                so that we can be one America--a Nation of 
                extraordinary possibility with opportunity, freedom, 
                and respect for all.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim July 1996, as A National 
                Month of Unity. I call upon religious leaders of all 
                faiths to emphasize the need for healing and tolerance. 
                I ask all Americans to join these efforts by working 
                together to mend divisions and promote understanding; 
                by reaching out to friends and neighbors of all races 
                and faiths in a spirit of fellowship; and by seeking to 
                strengthen, through words and actions, the ideals of 
                equality and community cherished by generations of 
                Americans. In this birth month of our Nation, let us 
                set an example for the world we welcome to Atlanta for 
                the Centennial Olympic Games by rededicating ourselves 
                to America's fundamental truth: E pluribus unum--from 
                many, one.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and twentieth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 96-17436
Filed 7-3-96; 11:37 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P