[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 48931-48932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-24903]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 180 / Wednesday, September 17, 1997 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 48931]]


                Proclamation 7020 of September 12, 1997

                
National Hispanic Heritage Month, 1997

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Throughout our history, America's promise of individual 
                freedom and opportunity has drawn millions upon 
                millions of immigrants from across the globe. As these 
                newcomers arrived, they gradually wove their own 
                traditions into the tapestry of our Nation's culture 
                and society. The world's economy is becoming ever more 
                interdependent and competitive, and these changes and 
                others brought on by the revolution in communication 
                technologies are lowering many of the old barriers to 
                economic, cultural, and intellectual exchange among 
                nations. In this new global community, we benefit 
                greatly from the contributions that Hispanic Americans 
                bring to our economy and our society.

                As the youngest and fastest-growing segment of our 
                population, Hispanic Americans are an increasingly 
                vital part of our economy. In the first 3 years of our 
                Administration, more than 220,000 Hispanic-American-
                owned businesses were created, and in recent years the 
                number of companies owned by Hispanic women, in 
                particular, has grown at three times the overall rate 
                of business growth. Our citizens with roots in South 
                and Central America, the Caribbean, and Spain have 
                inherited an entrepreneurial spirit and an intense work 
                ethic that have helped energize the strongest American 
                economy in a generation. The new head of the Small 
                Business Administration, Aida Alvarez, is a symbol of 
                that spirit and its importance to America. Along with 
                Secretary of Energy Federico Pena, Under Secretary of 
                Agriculture I. Miley Gonzales, and Ambassador Bill 
                Richardson, the United States Representative to the 
                United Nations, Administrator Alvarez reflects my 
                Administration's continuing commitment to bring highly 
                qualified Hispanic Americans into the highest levels of 
                Government.

                Our Hispanic citizens also are vital to America's 
                success in expanding trade and developing closer ties 
                with nations throughout the Western Hemisphere. Sharing 
                a rich cultural and linguistic heritage with Hispanic 
                Americans, these nations are already among our closest 
                trading partners, and we hope to further expand our 
                relationships with them at the Summit of the Americas 
                next March.

                The contributions of Hispanic Americans to the life of 
                our Nation are much more than economic. Their strong 
                commitment to family, community, and country sets a 
                shining example for all our people. Generations of 
                Hispanic Americans have served and sacrificed in 
                America's Armed Forces to defend liberty and advance 
                democracy throughout the world. And Hispanic culture 
                continues to deeply enrich our social, intellectual, 
                and artistic life.

                To meet the challenges of the 21st century, we must 
                create a society that offers opportunity to all 
                Americans, requires responsibility from all Americans, 
                and nurtures a community of all Americans. Hispanic 
                Americans throughout our country are working to build 
                such a society. To honor them for their dedication to 
                this endeavor and for their many contributions to our 
                Nation and our culture, the Congress, by Public Law 
                100-402, has authorized and requested the President to 
                issue annually a proclamation designating September 15 
                through October 15 as ``National Hispanic Heritage 
                Month.''

[[Page 48932]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 
                15 through October 15, 1997, as National Hispanic 
                Heritage Month. I call upon all government officials, 
                educators, and the people of the United States to honor 
                this observance with appropriate programs, ceremonies, 
                and activities, and I encourage all Americans to 
                rededicate themselves to the pursuit of equality.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twelfth day of September, 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-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 97-24903
Filed 9-16-97; 9:04 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P