[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 172 (Thursday, September 9, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 50433-50435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19575]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 172 / Thursday, September 9, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 50433]]

                Proclamation 10249 of September 3, 2021

                
National Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities Week, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Since 1837, Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities (HBCUs) have educated and prepared 
                millions of people to lift up our Nation and make their 
                impact on the world. These essential institutions have 
                been critical engines of opportunity for generations of 
                American families--they are incubators of excellence, 
                helping to shape the story of our Nation and deliver on 
                the promise of a more perfect Union. During National 
                Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, we 
                celebrate the vital role that HBCUs play in molding 
                Black leaders and ensuring that America continues to 
                move closer to reaching its full potential.

                From Delaware State--which has always held a special 
                place in my heart--to more than 100 institutions across 
                the country, HBCU graduates are the bearers of a proud 
                and sacred tradition. It is the tradition of the 
                Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood 
                Marshall, of Toni Morrison and Langston Hughes, of 
                Reverend Jesse Jackson and Reverend William Barber. It 
                is the tradition of countless scholars and advocates; 
                leaders of industry, arts, and sciences; and leaders of 
                faith and community. It is the tradition of 
                trailblazers--including the first HBCU graduate elected 
                to the Vice Presidency, Kamala Harris. It is a 
                tradition rooted in a fundamental belief that quality 
                education is a right that belongs to all people--that 
                every single American should have a fair and equal 
                chance to go as far as their God-given talents can take 
                them.

                Opposition to that belief has been a stain on our 
                Nation since its founding. After President Lincoln 
                signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Black Americans 
                were still subjected to persistent legal and social 
                discrimination. Laws were enacted to stifle their 
                progress, including laws that denied Black Americans 
                access to the same educational opportunities as white 
                Americans. Across the generations since, progress has 
                been won. Racial segregation of public schools was 
                struck down by the Supreme Court in a case successfully 
                argued by HBCU graduates. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 
                prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and 
                federally-funded programs. Over time, hearts and minds 
                have been changed. For more than 180 years, HBCUs have 
                been on the forefront of that progress.

                Still, the wound--and the reality--of systemic racism 
                remains. We see it in our education system, our labor 
                force, our health care system, our criminal justice 
                system, and in so many other corners of our society. We 
                see it in the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed and 
                exacerbated longstanding disparities in areas like food 
                security, internet access, and medical care. For Black 
                women and girls, LGBTQ+ Black Americans, and Black 
                Americans with disabilities--we see it compounded with 
                other forms of discrimination and bias. As they have 
                throughout their existence, HBCUs have risen to the 
                occasion to serve their students and communities over 
                the last year and a half--helping to develop 
                breakthrough treatments, hosting life-saving COVID-19 
                vaccination sites, and nurturing movements for justice 
                and equality.

[[Page 50434]]

                My Administration stands with HBCUs and is committed to 
                the fundamental American promise they represent: that 
                all of us are created equal and have a right to be 
                treated equally throughout our lives. Too many times 
                throughout our history, we have allowed a narrow, 
                cramped view of that promise to fester--the false idea 
                that America is a zero-sum game of opportunity, where a 
                person can only lift themselves up by holding others 
                down. It is critical that we shed that flawed way of 
                thinking and finally embrace what we know to be true: 
                that when any one of us is held back, we are all held 
                back, and when we lift each other up, we are all lifted 
                up.

                That idea--the defining idea of America--is why I 
                issued an Executive Order on my first day in office 
                establishing a whole-of-government approach to equity 
                and racial justice. It is why I have built the most 
                diverse Cabinet in history, why I am appointing Black 
                judges to the Federal judiciary at an historic rate, 
                and why we are continuing to build an Administration 
                that truly looks like America.

                It is also why we will continue to support HBCUs in 
                their vital mission. Imagine how much more creative and 
                innovative America would be if our HBCUs had the same 
                funding and resources as other institutions--allowing 
                young people from every community to compete for the 
                jobs and industries of the future. To help make that a 
                reality, my Administration has proposed approximately 
                $239 million in new institutional aid funding for HBCUs 
                in the Department of Education budget for next year, 
                including $72 million in new discretionary funding for 
                HBCUs. In addition, my Administration has proposed 
                approximately $167 million in new mandatory funding for 
                HBCUs and to provide 2 years of subsidized tuition and 
                expand programs in high-demand fields at HBCUs.

                I today signed an Executive Order establishing the 
                White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, 
                Opportunity, and Excellence through Historically Black 
                Colleges and Universities, which will create a 
                Government-wide approach to support the needs of HBCUs 
                and the communities they serve and eliminate systemic 
                barriers impeding HBCU participation in Federal 
                programs.

                This is only the beginning of our work to support HBCUs 
                and the remarkable students they empower and grow. This 
                week and every week, we will continue to celebrate and 
                advance the historic and ongoing success of our HBCUs--
                because we know that their success is America's 
                success.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 5 
                through September 11, 2021, 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 50435]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                third day of September, 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-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-19575
Filed 9-8-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P