[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 5, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 9905-9906]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-5565]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 43 / Wednesday, March 5, 1997 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 9905]]

                Proclamation 6975 of March 3, 1997

                
Women's History Month, 1997

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Throughout the history of our Nation, women have played 
                a pivotal role in bringing about positive change to 
                every aspect of American life, and their achievements 
                continue to touch the lives of every single citizen. 
                Women's History Month honors the women who made these 
                accomplishments possible, securing their rightful place 
                in history among those who have made our country great. 
                This month, we celebrate these women's lives--and renew 
                our commitment to breaking down the gender barriers 
                that still exist.

                Through their courage, foresight, and community spirit 
                over the years, American women have created a world of 
                opportunity for today's heroines and role models--women 
                such as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the 
                highest ranking woman to serve in any presidential 
                administration; Dr. Shannon W. Lucid, who has performed 
                five historic and complex Space Shuttle missions during 
                18 years with NASA and recently broke the American and 
                women's world record for continuous time in space; 
                Oseola McCarty, who in 1995 donated the life savings 
                she had earned as a maid to fund scholarships at the 
                University of Mississippi; and Julie Su, the young 
                attorney who first came to prominence through her 
                efforts to expose illegal exploitation of Thai 
                immigrants in a California sweatshop and who continues 
                to help immigrants to secure proper medical care, 
                employment, and the dignity they deserve. The pioneers 
                in women's history would be proud of today's women 
                pioneers.

                As we approach the 21st century, we have reached 
                another significant milestone in our Nation's history: 
                Women have approached an almost equal share in the 
                labor force. Thus, it is more important than ever that 
                we enable women and men to meet their responsibilities 
                at work and at home.

                Women continue to break the glass ceiling, changing 
                their status from employee to employer. Today, women-
                owned businesses are creating one out of every four 
                jobs in the United States. From the classroom to the 
                board room, women now occupy every part of the work 
                force, building the kinds of lives for themselves and 
                their families that are the heart of the American 
                Dream.

                Women's History Month provides Americans with an 
                opportunity to celebrate the contributions of all the 
                women who have enriched our Nation, to honor their 
                legacy, and to reflect upon what we can all do to end 
                discrimination against women. I encourage all Americans 
                to learn from, and share information about, women's 
                history in their workplaces, classrooms, and family 
                rooms. As every family has its own heroes, so does our 
                country. Only by studying the history of America's 
                women can we fully understand the history of America.

[[Page 9906]]

                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 of America, do hereby proclaim March 1997, as 
                Women's History Month. I ask educators, Government 
                officials, and all citizens to observe this month with 
                appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities, 
                remembering not only this month but also every month 
                the many different contributions that women make every 
                day.

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 97-5565
Filed 3-4-97; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P