[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 167 (Monday, August 29, 2011)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 53809-53810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-22256]



[[Page 53807]]

Vol. 76

Monday,

No. 167

August 29, 2011

Part IV





The President





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Proclamation 8699--Women's Equality Day, 2011
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  Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 167 / Monday, August 29, 2011 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 53809]]

                Proclamation 8699 of August 25, 2011

                
Women's Equality Day, 2011

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution 
                tore down the last formal barrier to women's 
                enfranchisement in our Nation and empowered America's 
                women to have their voices heard in the halls of power. 
                This Amendment became law only after decades of work by 
                committed trailblazers who fought to extend the right 
                to vote to women across America. For the women who 
                fought for this right, voting was not the end of the 
                journey for equality, but the beginning of a new era in 
                the advancement of our Union. These brave and tenacious 
                women challenged our Nation to live up to its founding 
                principles, and their legacy inspires us to reach ever 
                higher in our pursuit of liberty and equality for all.

                Before the Amendment took effect, women had been 
                serving our Nation in the public realm since its 
                earliest days. Even before they gained the right to 
                vote, America's women were leaders of movements, 
                academics, and reformers, and had even served in the 
                Congress. Legions of brave women wrote and lectured for 
                change. They let their feet speak when their voices 
                alone were not enough, protesting and marching for 
                their fundamental right to vote in the face of 
                heckling, jail, and abuse. Their efforts led to 
                enormous progress--millions upon millions of women have 
                since used the power of the ballot to help shape our 
                country.

                Today, our Nation's daughters reap the benefits of 
                these courageous pioneers while paving the way for 
                generations of women to come. But work still remains. 
                My Administration is committed to advancing equality 
                for all of our people. This year, the Council of Women 
                and Girls released ``Women in America: Indicators of 
                Social and Economic Well-Being,'' the most 
                comprehensive report in 50 years on the status of women 
                in our country, shedding light on issues women face in 
                employment, crime, health, and family life. We are 
                working to ensure that women-owned businesses can 
                compete in the marketplace, that women are not 
                discriminated against in healthcare, and that we 
                redouble our efforts to bring an end to sexual assault 
                on college campuses.

                On the 91st anniversary of this landmark in civil 
                rights, we continue to uphold the foundational American 
                principles that we are all equal, and that each of us 
                deserves a chance to pursue our dreams. We honor the 
                heroes who have given of themselves to advance the 
                causes of justice, opportunity, and prosperity. As we 
                celebrate the legacy of those who made enormous strides 
                in the last century and before, we renew our commitment 
                to hold true to the dreams for which they fought, and 
                we look forward to a bright future for our Nation's 
                daughters.

                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 August 26, 2011, as 
                Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the 
                United States to celebrate the achievements of women 
                and recommit ourselves to the goal of gender equality 
                in this country.

[[Page 53810]]

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

[FR Doc. 2011-22256
Filed 8-26-11; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3195-W1-P