[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 15, 2010)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 56459-56460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23198]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 178 / Wednesday, September 15, 2010 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 56459]]


                Proclamation 8557 of September 10, 2010

                
National Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities Week, 2010

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Early in our Nation's history, higher education was not 
                possible for most African Americans, and simple lessons 
                in reading and writing were often conducted in secret. 
                With a unique mission to meet the educational needs of 
                African Americans, Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities (HBCUs) have been valued resources for our 
                country since their inception before the Civil War. 
                Historically Black Colleges and Universities have 
                opened doors and cultivated dreams, and the 
                contributions of their founders, faculty, students, and 
                graduates have shaped our growth and progress as a 
                Nation. During National Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities Week, we honor these pillars of higher 
                education in America, and we pay tribute to those who 
                have worked to realize their promise.

                Bastions of heritage and scholarship, HBCUs have 
                produced African American medical professionals, 
                lawyers, educators, and public officials throughout 
                their history. Countless individuals have worked 
                tirelessly to cultivate HBCUs, and their legacy is seen 
                in graduates whose achievements adorn the pages of 
                American history. From Booker T. Washington to Mary 
                McLeod Bethune, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois to the Reverend Dr. 
                Martin Luther King, Jr., HBCU visionaries and graduates 
                have set powerful examples of leadership, built our 
                middle class, strengthened our economy, served in our 
                Armed Forces, and secured their place in the American 
                story.

                HBCUs are important engines of economic growth and 
                community service and will continue to play a vital 
                role in helping America achieve our goal of having the 
                highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 
                2020. This year, I was proud to sign an Executive Order 
                to strengthen the White House Initiative on HBCUs, 
                which will collaborate with government agencies, 
                educational associations, philanthropic organizations, 
                the private sector, and other partners to increase the 
                capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest-quality 
                education to a greater number of students. Together, we 
                will ensure HBCUs continue fostering determination in 
                their students, instilling pride in their alumni, and 
                adding rungs to our Nation's ladder of opportunity for 
                future generations.

                During National Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities Week, we celebrate the immeasurable 
                contributions these crucibles of learning have made to 
                our Nation. As we continue strengthening the capacity 
                of HBCUs, let us also recommit to preserving and 
                enriching their long tradition of hope and success, and 
                to sustaining our collective effort to meet and exceed 
                America's goals for educational excellence.

                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 September 12 through 
                September 18, 2010, as National Historically Black 
                Colleges and Universities Week. I call upon all public 
                officials, educators, librarians, and Americans to 
                observe this week with appropriate programs, 
                ceremonies, and activities

[[Page 56460]]

                that acknowledge the tremendous achievements HBCUs and 
                their graduates have made to our country.

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

[FR Doc. 2010-23198
Filed 9-14-10; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3195-W0-P