[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 3, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 5877-5878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-02219]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 22 / Wednesday, February 3, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 5877]]


                Proclamation 9392 of January 29, 2016

                
National African American History Month, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America's greatness is a testament to generations of 
                courageous individuals who, in the face of 
                uncomfortable truths, accepted that the work of 
                perfecting our Nation is unending and strived to expand 
                the reach of freedom to all. For too long, our most 
                basic liberties had been denied to African Americans, 
                and today, we pay tribute to countless good-hearted 
                citizens--along the Underground Railroad, aboard a bus 
                in Alabama, and all across our country--who stood up 
                and sat in to help right the wrongs of our past and 
                extend the promise of America to all our people. During 
                National African American History Month, we recognize 
                these champions of justice and the sacrifices they made 
                to bring us to this point, we honor the contributions 
                of African Americans since our country's beginning, and 
                we recommit to reaching for a day when no person is 
                judged by anything but the content of their character.

                From the Revolutionary War through the abolitionist 
                movement, to marches from Selma to Montgomery and 
                across America today, African Americans have remained 
                devoted to the proposition that all of us are created 
                equal, even when their own rights were denied. As we 
                rejoice in the victories won by men and women who 
                believed in the idea of a just and fair America, we 
                remember that, throughout history, our success has been 
                driven by bold individuals who were willing to speak 
                out and change the status quo.

                Refusing to accept our Nation's original sin, African 
                Americans bound by the chains of slavery broke free and 
                headed North, and many others who knew slavery was 
                antithetical to our country's conception of human 
                rights and dignity fought to bring their moral 
                imagination to life. When Jim Crow mocked the advances 
                made by the 13th Amendment, a new generation of men and 
                women galvanized and organized with the same force of 
                faith as their enslaved ancestors. Our Nation's young 
                people still echo the call for equality, bringing 
                attention to disparities that continue to plague our 
                society in ways that mirror the non-violent tactics of 
                the civil rights movement while adapting to modern 
                times. Let us also not forget those who made the 
                ultimate sacrifice so that we could make our voices 
                heard by exercising our right to vote. Even in the face 
                of legal challenges, every eligible voter should not 
                take for granted what is our right to shape our 
                democracy.

                We have made great progress on the journey toward 
                ensuring our ideals ring true for all people. Today, 
                African American high school graduation and college 
                enrollment rates are at an all-time high. The African-
                American unemployment rate has been halved since its 
                Great Recession peak. More than 2 million African 
                Americans gained health insurance thanks to the 
                Affordable Care Act. The incarceration rates for 
                African-American men and women fell during each year of 
                this Administration and are at their lowest points in 
                over two decades. Yet challenges persist and obstacles 
                still stand in the way of becoming the country 
                envisioned at our founding, and we would do a 
                disservice to all who came before us if we remained 
                blind to the way past injustices shape the present. The 
                United States is home

[[Page 5878]]

                to 5 percent of the world's population, but 25 percent 
                of the world's prisoners--a disproportionate number of 
                whom are African American--so we must find ways to 
                reform our criminal justice system and ensure that it 
                is fairer and more effective. While we've seen 
                unemployment rates decrease, many communities, 
                particularly those of color, continue to experience 
                significant gaps in educational and employment 
                opportunities, causing too many young men and women to 
                feel like no matter how hard they try, they may never 
                achieve their dreams.

                Our responsibility as citizens is to address the 
                inequalities and injustices that linger, and we must 
                secure our birthright freedoms for all people. As we 
                mark the 40th year of National African American History 
                Month, let us reflect on the sacrifices and 
                contributions made by generations of African Americans, 
                and let us resolve to continue our march toward a day 
                when every person knows the unalienable rights to life, 
                liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

                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 February 2016 as 
                National African American History Month. I call upon 
                public officials, educators, librarians, and all the 
                people of the United States to observe this month with 
                appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

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

[FR Doc. 2016-02219
Filed 2-2-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P