[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 196 (Thursday, October 12, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 70571-70572]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22666]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 70571]]


                Proclamation 10648 of October 6, 2023

                
Columbus Day, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Today, we celebrate all the Italian Americans, whose 
                courage and character reflect and help define our 
                Nation.

                In 1891, 11 Italian Americans were murdered in one of 
                the largest mass lynchings in our Nation's history. In 
                the wake of this horrific attack, President Benjamin 
                Harrison established Columbus Day in 1892. For so many 
                people across our country, that first Columbus Day was 
                a way to honor the lives that had been lost and to 
                celebrate the hope, possibilities, and ingenuity 
                Italian Americans have contributed to our country since 
                before the birth of our republic.

                More than a century later, we mark Columbus Day with 
                that purpose--celebrating the heritage of Italian 
                Americans, whose hands helped build our Nation and 
                whose hearts have always carried faith in the American 
                Dream. For many Italian Americans, the story of 
                Christopher Columbus' voyage--from the Spanish port of 
                Palos de la Frontera on behalf of Queen Isabella I and 
                King Ferdinand II--remains a source of pride. It 
                reflects the stories of trips across the Atlantic that 
                so many Italian Americans grew up hearing at the dinner 
                table, whether tales of ancestors who set sail on 
                wooden boats across rough waters to begin new lives on 
                our shores or grandparents who immigrated here with 
                little more than hope in their hearts. These are 
                stories of people leaving everything they knew and 
                loved behind for the promise of opportunity in the 
                United States.

                Today, we honor those stories told around the dinner 
                table and celebrate what these hopeful Italian American 
                newcomers brought to our Nation. Italian Americans are 
                educators, service members, doctors, engineers, 
                artists, Government officials, and leaders and 
                innovators in every field. The Italian American 
                community is also a source of strength for our Nation's 
                enduring relationship with Italy--an essential NATO 
                ally and partner in the European Union. Together, we 
                are working to address the challenges of our time, 
                especially supporting the people of Ukraine in defense 
                of their freedom.

                America was founded on an idea: that we are all created 
                equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable 
                rights, and deserve to be treated equally throughout 
                our lives. Though we have never fully lived up to that 
                idea, our aspirations have never let us walk away from 
                it either. Today, we honor all the Italian Americans 
                who never walked away from our fundamental creed and 
                who, for generations, have helped realize the full 
                promise of our Nation.

                In commemoration of Christopher Columbus' historic 
                voyage 531 years ago, the Congress, by joint resolution 
                of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 
                107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim 
                the second Monday of October of each year as ``Columbus 
                Day.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, do hereby proclaim 
                October 9, 2023, as Columbus Day. I direct that the 
                flag of the United States be displayed on all public 
                buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse 
                history and all who have contributed to shaping this 
                Nation.

[[Page 70572]]

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

[FR Doc. 2023-22666
Filed 10-11-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P