[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 5, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 23859-23860]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09594]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 5, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 23859]]


                Proclamation 10197 of April 30, 2021

                
Law Day, U.S.A., 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In the many years I spent as a United States Senator 
                and as Vice President, I logged hundreds of thousands 
                of miles of travel, and had the opportunity to meet 
                with foreign officials all over the world. Those 
                experiences impressed upon me a truth about America: 
                that what makes our Nation unique is the depth of our 
                devotion to the rule of law.

                Unlike so many of the Nations of the world, the United 
                States wasn't built around an ethnicity, religion, or 
                tribe--it was built around common ideals. The rule of 
                law is central to those ideals. It is what limits the 
                abuse of power in our Nation, whether by an individual 
                or a mob. It reflects President John Adams' desire to 
                establish ``a government of laws and not of men.'' It 
                is how Thomas Paine distinguished us from the rest of 
                the world--declaring that, while in other Nations, the 
                king is law, ``in America, the law is king.''

                Many Nations around the world still struggle to capture 
                what we have captured here in America--not only in the 
                text of our founding documents, but in the character of 
                our people: reverence for the law. That reverence is 
                essential to our democracy. Without it, equality and 
                justice cannot be advanced, human rights cannot be 
                protected, democratic norms and values cannot be 
                secured, and disagreements cannot be peaceably 
                resolved. The rule of law has also been a critical 
                vehicle for delivering the full promise of American 
                democracy to all of our people, particularly those 
                excluded in our Nation's founding. Today, on Law Day, 
                we rededicate ourselves to furthering that promise and 
                strengthening those ideals, and we renew our commitment 
                to ensure that every American's constitutional rights 
                are protected.

                The theme of this year's Law Day, ``Advancing the Rule 
                of Law Now,'' is particularly fitting at this moment in 
                our Nation's history. Recently, we were again called to 
                recognize that democracy is precious and fragile. We 
                have witnessed grave threats to our democratic 
                institutions and to the rule of law itself. These 
                tragic events have taught us once again that when we 
                are united, we can overcome the greatest challenges and 
                move our country forward--but it takes a commitment to 
                law over demagoguery, and the enforcement of law free 
                from political interference, to do so.

                Previous generations of Americans have lived through 
                civil war, economic depressions, the rise of fascism, 
                and world wars--and today, too many Americans continue 
                to face pervasive racism, xenophobia, nativism, and 
                other forms of intolerance. This year, the United 
                States marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa, 
                Oklahoma, race massacre, in which a mob of white 
                residents attacked and killed between 100 and 300 Black 
                residents and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and 
                businesses in a thriving community known as Black Wall 
                Street. Today, a century later, we still face chilling 
                echoes of those threats to equality, justice, and the 
                rule of law in the form of rising political extremism, 
                white supremacy, and domestic terrorism.

                My Administration is committed to advancing the rule of 
                law within the United States so that everyone is 
                ensured equal justice under the law, an equal place in 
                our democracy, and the opportunity to fulfill their 
                potential

[[Page 23860]]

                free from abuses of power. On my first day in office, I 
                signed an historic Executive Order on Advancing Racial 
                Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through 
                the Federal Government, to advance equity and racial 
                justice and redress systemic racism across a 
                comprehensive sweep of Federal policies, laws, and 
                programs. I also signed a memorandum on Condemning and 
                Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against 
                Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United 
                States, stating that the Federal Government has a 
                responsibility to prevent racism, xenophobia, and 
                intolerance against anyone in the United States--
                particularly, today, against Asian Americans who have 
                spent the last year enduring unconscionable and un-
                American harassment and attacks--as well as an 
                additional Executive Order on Preventing and Combating 
                Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or 
                Sexual Orientation. I have directed Federal agencies to 
                facilitate access to voting using their existing legal 
                authority, and my Administration supports further 
                legislation to protect the sacred right to vote and 
                make it more equitable and accessible for all Americans 
                to exercise that right.

                We are also working to advance the rule of law across 
                the world by rebuilding global alliances; confronting 
                authoritarianism; and reengaging with other 
                governments, civil society organizations, and 
                multilateral organizations, such as the United Nations. 
                We must ensure that we are able to lead not by the 
                example of our power, but by the power of our example. 
                As I have said on many occasions, our diplomacy must be 
                rooted in America's most cherished democratic values: 
                defending freedom, championing opportunity, upholding 
                universal rights, respecting the rule of law, and 
                treating every person with dignity.

                On this Law Day, U.S.A., I urge my fellow Americans to 
                join me in recommitting ourselves to promoting and 
                advancing the rule of law and delivering freedom and 
                equality for all.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, in accordance with Public 
                Law 87-20, as amended, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2021, 
                as Law Day, U.S.A. I call upon all Americans to 
                acknowledge the importance of our Nation's legal and 
                judicial systems with appropriate ceremonies and 
                activities, and to display the flag of the United 
                States in support of this national observance.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                fifth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-09594
Filed 5-4-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P