[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 13 (Friday, January 20, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 2905-2906]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1190]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 13 / Friday, January 20, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 2905]]

                Proclamation 8773 of January 13, 2012

                
Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2012

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On a hot summer day nearly half a century ago, an 
                African American preacher with no official title or 
                rank gave voice to our Nation's deepest aspirations, 
                sharing his dream of an America that ensured the true 
                equality of all our people. From the steps of the 
                Lincoln Memorial, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, 
                Jr. inspired a movement that would push our country 
                toward a more perfect Union.

                At a time when our Nation was sharply divided, Dr. King 
                called on a generation of Americans to be ``voices of 
                reason, sanity, and understanding amid the voices of 
                violence, hatred, and emotion.'' His example stirred 
                men and women of all backgrounds to become foot 
                soldiers for justice, and his leadership gave them the 
                courage to refuse the limitations of the day and fight 
                for the prospect of tomorrow. Because these individuals 
                showed the resilience to stand firm in the face of the 
                fiercest resistance, we are the benefactors of an 
                extraordinary legacy of progress.

                Today, Dr. King is memorialized on the National Mall 
                where he once spoke, a symbol of how far our Nation has 
                come and a testament to the quiet heroes whose names 
                may never appear in history books, but whose 
                selflessness brought about change few thought possible. 
                Dr. King's memorial reminds us that while the work of 
                realizing his remarkable dream is unending, with 
                persistence, progress is within our reach.

                On the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, we 
                celebrate the man who fought for the America he knew 
                was possible. Dr. King's faith in a God who loves all 
                His children and a Nation grounded in the promise of 
                equality would not let him rest until victory was won. 
                As we work to meet the challenges of our time--from 
                fixing our schools so every child gets a world-class 
                education to ensuring all Americans have access to 
                strong and secure economic opportunity--let us draw 
                strength from Dr. King's stirring affirmation that 
                ``Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.'' 
                In his memory, let us continue climbing toward that 
                Promised Land, one more fair and more just for all 
                people.

                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 January 16, 2012, as 
                the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I 
                encourage all Americans to observe this day with 
                appropriate civic, community, and service projects in 
                honor of Dr. King, and to visit www.MLKDay.gov to find 
                Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service projects across 
                our country.

[[Page 2906]]

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

[FR Doc. 2012-1190
Filed 1-19-12; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P