[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 184 (Wednesday, September 23, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 57507-57508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24349]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 184 / Wednesday, September 23, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 57507]]


                Proclamation 9326 of September 18, 2015

                
National Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities Week, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Ensuring all members of our American family have access 
                to higher education is fundamental to our society. A 
                college degree can help secure a place in the middle 
                class and broaden horizons for people of every 
                background and belief. For years prior to the Civil 
                War, this promise was withheld from African Americans, 
                and the lack of a structured higher education system 
                often prohibited them from earning their rightful piece 
                of the American dream. This week, we recognize the 
                sacrifices made by those who fought for the right of 
                all our Nation's students to have equal access to a 
                quality education, and we recommit to carrying their 
                legacy forward by pledging our support for Historically 
                Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and all who 
                attend them.

                Countless champions from every corner of our country 
                banded together to create the first HBCUs to resolve 
                injustices and enable more people to realize their full 
                talents and abilities. Though the barriers to higher 
                education for African Americans have not been 
                completely broken down, more than 100 HBCUs across our 
                country have educated millions of students. These 
                institutions help build the foundation for our middle 
                class--they are places where dreams take flight and 
                where opportunities flourish. Generations of African 
                Americans have learned and grown at HBCUs, which have 
                made extraordinary contributions to academia and 
                produced some of our Nation's finest thinkers and 
                greatest innovators.

                HBCUs are doing their part to help the United States 
                reach our goal of having the highest proportion of 
                college graduates in the world by 2020, because roughly 
                half of the students that walk these halls of learning 
                are the first in their families to go to college. 
                Additionally, HBCUs are home to many who otherwise 
                might not be able to afford a college education--over 
                70 percent of those enrolled at HBCUs are from low-
                income backgrounds. My Administration is dedicated to 
                ensuring these institutions have the resources they 
                need, and I have made clear that all Federal agencies 
                are expected to assist with this mission and help all 
                students grow and thrive. To further support our goals 
                for this decade, we have committed hundreds of millions 
                of dollars to strengthen HBCUs and provide financial 
                aid for those who attend them, and earlier this year I 
                announced a plan to open doors of opportunity for even 
                more of our people by making community college free for 
                responsible and hardworking students. In America, 
                nobody should be denied an education because they do 
                not have the resources to pay for it.

                This week, we reaffirm our support for HBCUs and 
                recognize the great impact they have had on students 
                throughout history. Education is freedom--freedom to 
                learn, to grow, and to achieve our highest goals and 
                aspirations. Let us honor the heroes who helped extend 
                this right to more people, and let us rededicate 
                ourselves to defending it so that all of America's sons 
                and daughters--no matter where they come from or what 
                they look like--can fulfill their God-given potential.

[[Page 57508]]

                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 20 through 
                September 26, 2015, 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.

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

[FR Doc. 2015-24349
Filed 9-22-15; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F5-P