[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 185 (Wednesday, September 24, 2014)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 57427-57428]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22927]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 185 / Wednesday, September 24, 2014 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 57427]]


                Proclamation 9172 of September 19, 2014

                
National Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities Week, 2014

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                For generations, the promise of an education has been a 
                beacon of hope for millions of Americans seeking a 
                better life. At a time when it was deemed illegal for 
                African Americans to learn to read or write, brave men 
                and women took great risks to learn these skills in 
                secret. And after the Civil War, determined individuals 
                made extraordinary sacrifices to establish the 
                institutions we know today as Historically Black 
                Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These schools waged 
                a war against illiteracy and ignorance and offered a 
                newly free people the opportunity to write their own 
                chapter in the American story. This week, we honor 
                their important legacy and renew our commitment to 
                their spirit: that every person deserves a chance to 
                succeed.

                Over more than 150 years, HBCUs have provided students 
                with the tools to meet the challenges of a changing 
                world. These institutions are hubs of opportunity that 
                lift up Americans and instill in their students a sense 
                of who they are and what they can become. Their 
                campuses are engines of economic growth and community 
                service and proven ladders of intergenerational 
                advancement. Across our country, their graduates 
                strengthen our communities, lead our industries, and 
                serve our Nation. And their successes inspire the next 
                cohort of graduates and leaders.

                HBCUs have forged pathways to help students overcome 
                barriers to equal opportunity, but more work remains to 
                ensure that a world-class education is within the reach 
                of every person willing to work for it. That is why my 
                Administration is fighting to make college more 
                affordable with larger grants and low-interest loans. 
                We are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in 
                HBCUs, and because half of all students at these 
                schools are the first in their family to attend 
                college, we are supporting programs that help these 
                first-generation scholars succeed. Our goal is to have 
                the highest proportion of college graduates in the 
                world by 2020, and investing in these institutions and 
                their students will play a vital part in meeting it.

                Today, because of the work of bold leaders--and of 
                parents and grandparents who never dreamed of going to 
                college themselves but who saved and sacrificed so 
                their children could--more young people have the chance 
                to achieve their greatest potential and full measure of 
                happiness. During National Historically Black Colleges 
                and Universities Week, we recognize the ways these 
                schools have made our Nation more just and we continue 
                our work to make higher education accessible to every 
                child in America.

                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 21 through 
                September 27, 2014, as National Historically Black 
                Colleges and Universities Week. I call upon educators, 
                public officials, professional organizations, 
                corporations, and all Americans to observe this week 
                with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities 
                that acknowledge the countless contributions these 
                institutions and their alumni have made to our country.

[[Page 57428]]

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

[FR Doc. 2014-22927
Filed 9-23-14; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F4