[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 2, 2001)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 50097-50098]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-24771]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 191 / Tuesday, October 2, 2001 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 50097]]


                Proclamation 7471 of September 28, 2001

                
National Hispanic Heritage Month, 2001

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                For more than 30 years, the United States has annually 
                celebrated the rich history and cultural traditions of 
                our Nation's Hispanic American people. National 
                Hispanic Heritage Month provides us an opportunity to 
                express deep appreciation to Hispanic Americans for 
                their countless contributions to our society and to pay 
                tribute again to America's distinctive diversity.

                Since our Nation's founding, Hispanic Americans have 
                played an integral role in our country's exceptional 
                story of success. Hispanic Americans served with 
                heroism in every major American military conflict. The 
                Continental Army benefited from the valor of Bernardo 
                de Galvez, who led his frequently outnumbered troops to 
                numerous victories against the British. Luis Esteves 
                organized the first Puerto Rico National Guard and rose 
                through the ranks of the U.S. Army to become a 
                distinguished Brigadier General. And 38 Hispanics have 
                earned our Nation's highest military decoration, the 
                Medal of Honor. The United States academic and 
                scientific communities benefited from the contributions 
                of Hispanic Americans like physicist Luis Walter 
                Alvarez, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 
                1986. Business leaders like Roberto Goizueta have had a 
                positive effect on our Nation's economy; and many 
                Hispanics have greatly influenced America's artistic, 
                legal, and political communities.

                Today, Hispanic culture continues to shape the American 
                experience. More than 30 million Americans, about 1 in 
                8 people in the United States, claim Hispanic origin. 
                They contribute to every walk of contemporary American 
                life, while simultaneously preserving the unique 
                customs and traditions of their ancestors. All 
                Americans, regardless of national origin, celebrate the 
                vibrant Hispanic American spirit that influences our 
                Nation's art, music, food, and faiths. We also 
                celebrate the practices of commitment to family, love 
                of country, and respect for others, virtues that 
                transcend ethnicity, reflect the American spirit, and 
                are nobly exemplified in the Hispanic American 
                community.

                The strong ties that Hispanic Americans maintain with 
                their ancestral homeland remind us that the United 
                States must pursue robust relations with its trading 
                partners in Latin America and the Caribbean. The future 
                of our hemisphere is closely tied to these 
                relationships, and improving trade will play a vital 
                role in building important links with our Hispanic 
                neighbors. Maintaining open and free trade creates job 
                opportunities and promotes economic growth, improving 
                the welfare of every citizen in every land it touches. 
                Thus, we will negotiate for freer markets, which will 
                allow us the opportunity to obtain better protections 
                for our hemisphere's environment and will promote 
                political freedom throughout the region.

                We have a great opportunity before us. By working 
                together, we can achieve a fully democratic hemisphere, 
                bound together by good will, cultural understanding, 
                and free trade. The many contributions of Hispanic 
                Americans to our Nation will help us reach this 
                important goal by helping connect our country with the 
                Hispanic nations to our south. This month, we celebrate 
                the talents, culture, and spirit of Hispanic Americans, 
                which deeply enrich our country and bless our people.

[[Page 50098]]

                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.'' I am proud 
                to do so.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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 15 through October 
                15, 2001, as National Hispanic Heritage Month. I call 
                upon all the people of the United States to observe 
                this month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 01-24771
Filed 10-1-01; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P