[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 42 (Thursday, March 5, 2009)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 9747-9748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-4856]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 42 / Thursday, March 5, 2009 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 9747]]


                Proclamation 8351 of March 3, 2009

                
Women's History Month, 2009

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                 With passion and courage, women have taught us that 
                when we band together to advocate for our highest 
                ideals, we can advance our common well-being and 
                strengthen the fabric of our Nation. Each year during 
                Women's History Month, we remember and celebrate women 
                from all walks of life who have shaped this great 
                Nation. This year, in accordance with the theme, 
                ``Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet,'' we pay 
                particular tribute to the efforts of women in 
                preserving and protecting the environment for present 
                and future generations.

                 Ellen Swallow Richards is known to have been the first 
                woman in the United States to be accepted at a 
                scientific school. She graduated from the Massachusetts 
                Institute of Technology in 1873 and went on to become a 
                prominent chemist. In 1887, she conducted a survey of 
                water quality in Massachusetts. This study, the first 
                of its kind in America, led to the Nation's first state 
                water-quality standards.

                 Women have also taken the lead throughout our history 
                in preserving our natural environment. In 1900, Maria 
                Sanford led the Minnesota Federation of Women's Groups 
                in their efforts to protect forestland near the 
                Mississippi River, which eventually became the Chippewa 
                National Forest, the first Congressionally mandated 
                national forest. Marjory Stoneman Douglas dedicated her 
                life to protecting and restoring the Florida 
                Everglades. Her book, The Everglades: Rivers of Grass, 
                published in 1947, led to the preservation of the 
                Everglades as a National Park. She was awarded the 
                Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.

                Rachel Carson brought even greater attention to the 
                environment by exposing the dangers of certain 
                pesticides to the environment and to human health. Her 
                landmark 1962 book, Silent Spring, was fiercely 
                criticized for its unconventional perspective. As early 
                as 1963, however, President Kennedy acknowledged its 
                importance and appointed a panel to investigate the 
                book's findings. Silent Spring has emerged as a seminal 
                work in environmental studies. Carson was awarded the 
                Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1980.

                 Grace Thorpe, another leading environmental advocate, 
                also connected environmental protection with human 
                well-being by emphasizing the vulnerability of certain 
                populations to environmental hazards. In 1992, she 
                launched a successful campaign to organize Native 
                Americans to oppose the storage of nuclear waste on 
                their reservations, which she said contradicted Native 
                American principles of stewardship of the earth. She 
                also proposed that America invest in alternative energy 
                sources such as hydroelectricity, solar power, and wind 
                power.

                 These women helped protect our environment and our 
                people while challenging the status quo and breaking 
                social barriers. Their achievements inspired 
                generations of American women and men not only to save 
                our planet, but also to overcome obstacles and pursue 
                their interests and talents. They join a long and proud 
                history of American women leaders, and this month we 
                honor the contributions of all women to our Nation.

[[Page 9748]]

                 NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim March 2009 as Women's 
                History Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe 
                this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
                activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and 
                contributions of American women.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                third day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. E9-4856
Filed 3-4-09; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3195-W9-P