[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 180 (Thursday, September 17, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 49817-49818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-25111]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 180 / Thursday, September 17, 1998 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 49817]]


                Proclamation 7122 of September 15, 1998

                
National Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities Week, 1998

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Education has always been at the heart of opportunity 
                in America. That has never been more true than today, 
                when a revolution in technology is fundamentally 
                changing the way we live and work and learn. In this 
                new era of dynamic challenge and possibility, we 
                recognize that the best opportunities for personal and 
                professional success will go to those who are well 
                educated. Our Nation's Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities (HBCUs) play a vital role in helping to 
                extend access to a quality education.

                Established before and just after the Civil War to 
                educate free black students, these institutions have 
                been African Americans' primary route--and for many the 
                only route--to higher education. Struggling to exist in 
                a segregated society, striving to keep tuition 
                affordable despite limited financial resources, these 
                schools nonetheless upheld their mission of academic 
                excellence and equal opportunity.

                Even after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that ended 
                legal segregation of America's public schools, the need 
                for HBCUs did not disappear. These schools continue to 
                provide young African Americans and other students with 
                a nurturing and affirming environment. Today, America's 
                105 HBCUs are educating almost 300,000 African 
                Americans, and they count among their graduates the 
                majority of our Nation's African American military 
                officers, physicians, Federal judges, elected 
                officials, and business executives. The distinguished 
                faculty members at HBCUs serve as role models and 
                mentors, challenging students to reach their full 
                potential and to refuse to set limits on their dreams. 
                HBCUs are a source of great pride and a symbol of 
                economic, social, and political growth.

                As our Nation grows increasingly diverse in race, 
                culture, and ethnic background, these institutions are 
                a valuable source of knowledge about the history and 
                heritage of African Americans, serving as keepers of 
                significant archives and centers for the study of 
                African Americans' many contributions to the life of 
                our Nation. Most important, these schools continue to 
                champion the cause of equal access to education. With a 
                notable past, a dynamic present, and a promising 
                future, America's HBCUs are helping to prepare our 
                Nation's young people for the challenges and 
                opportunities of the new millennium.

                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 September 20 through 
                September 26, 1998, as National Historically Black 
                Colleges and Universities Week. I call upon the people 
                of the United States, including government officials, 
                educators, and administrators, to observe this week 
                with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities 
                honoring America's Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities and their graduates.

[[Page 49818]]

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 98-25111
Filed 9-16-98; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P