[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 14 (Thursday, January 22, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 3449-3450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01254]



[[Page 3447]]

Vol. 80

Thursday,

No. 14

January 22, 2015

Part IV





The President





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Proclamation 9228--Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2015



Executive Order 13688--Federal Support for Local Law Enforcement 
Equipment Acquisition



Memorandum of January 16, 2015--Expanding Federal Support for 
Predevelopment Activities for Nonfederal Domestic Infrastructure Assets
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  Federal Register / Vol. 80 , No. 14 / Thursday, January 22, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 3449]]

                Proclamation 9228 of January 16, 2015

                
Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                A champion for justice, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther 
                King, Jr., helped awaken our Nation's long-slumbering 
                conscience and inspired a generation. Through a 
                cacophony of division and hatred, his voice rang out, 
                challenging America to make freedom a reality for all 
                of God's children and prophesying a day when the 
                discord of our Union would be transformed into a 
                symphony of brotherhood. His clarion call echoed the 
                promise of our founding--that each of us are created 
                equal--and every day he worked to give meaning to this 
                timeless creed.

                Today, we pause to pay tribute to the extraordinary 
                life and legacy of Dr. King, and we reflect on the 
                lessons he taught us. Dr. King understood that equality 
                requires more than the absence of oppression; it 
                requires the presence of economic opportunity. He 
                recognized that ``we are caught in an inescapable 
                network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of 
                destiny.'' In a world full of poverty, he called for 
                empathy; in the face of brutality, he placed his faith 
                in non-violence. His teachings remind us we have a duty 
                to fight against poverty, even if we are wealthy; to 
                care about the child in the decrepit school long after 
                our own children have found success; and to show 
                compassion toward the immigrant family, knowing that we 
                were strangers once, too. Dr. King transformed the 
                concepts of justice, liberty, and equality, and as he 
                led marches and protests and raised his voice, he 
                changed the course of history.

                From Dr. King's courage, we draw strength and the 
                resolve to continue climbing toward the promised land. 
                Our Nation has made undeniable progress since his time, 
                but securing these gains requires constant vigilance, 
                not complacency. We have more to do to bring Dr. King's 
                dream within reach of all our daughters and sons. We 
                must stand together for good jobs, fair wages, safe 
                neighborhoods, and quality education. With one voice, 
                we must ensure the scales of justice work equally for 
                all--considering not only how justice is applied, but 
                also how it is perceived and experienced. As Dr. King 
                told us, ``injustice anywhere is a threat to justice 
                everywhere,'' and this remains our great unfinished 
                business.

                Through struggle and discipline, persistence and faith, 
                patriots and prophetic leaders like Dr. King have 
                driven our country inexorably forward. In every chapter 
                of our great story, giants of history and unheralded 
                foot soldiers for justice have fought to bridge the gap 
                between our founding ideals and the realities of the 
                time. We will never forget all who endured and 
                sacrificed, or those who gave their lives, so that our 
                children might live in a freer, fairer, and more just 
                society.

                In sermons and speeches, Dr. King's voice rang out with 
                a call for us to work toward a better tomorrow. As we 
                honor his legacy, Americans across the country will 
                join one another for a day of service, picking up the 
                baton handed to us by past generations and carrying 
                forward their efforts. As one people, we will show when 
                ordinary citizens come together to participate in the 
                democracy we love, justice will not be denied.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution

[[Page 3450]]

                and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim 
                January 19, 2015, 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.

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

[FR Doc. 2015-01254
Filed 1-21-15; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F5