[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 123, 111th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8351--MAR. 3, 2009

Proclamation 8351 of March 3, 2009
Women's History Month, 2009
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

With passion and courage, women have taught us that when we band
together to advocate for our highest ideals, we can advance our common
well-being and strengthen the fabric of our Nation. Each year during
Women's History Month, we remember and celebrate women from all walks of
life who have shaped this great Nation. This year, in accordance with
the theme, ``Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet,'' we pay
particular tribute to the efforts of women in preserving and protecting
the environment for present and future generations.
Ellen Swallow Richards is known to have been the first woman in the
United States to be accepted at a scientific school. She graduated from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1873 and went on to become
a prominent chemist. In 1887, she conducted a survey of water quality in
Massachusetts. This study, the first of its kind in America, led to the
Nation's first state water-quality standards.
Women have also taken the lead throughout our history in preserving our
natural environment. In 1900, Maria Sanford led the Minnesota Federation
of Women's Groups in their efforts to protect forestland near the
Mississippi River, which eventually became the Chippewa National Forest,
the first Congressionally mandated national forest. Marjory Stoneman
Douglas dedicated her life to protecting and restoring the Florida
Everglades. Her book, The Everglades: Rivers of Grass, published in
1947, led to the preservation of the Everglades as a National Park. She
was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.
Rachel Carson brought even greater attention to the environment by
exposing the dangers of certain pesticides to the environment and to
human health. Her landmark 1962 book, Silent Spring, was fiercely
criticized for its unconventional perspective. As early as 1963,
however, President Kennedy acknowledged its importance and appointed a
panel to investigate the book's findings. Silent Spring has emerged as a
seminal work in environmental studies. Carson was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1980.
Grace Thorpe, another leading environmental advocate, also connected
environmental protection with human well-being by emphasizing the
vulnerability of certain populations to environmental hazards. In 1992,
she launched a successful campaign to organize Native Americans to
oppose the storage of nuclear waste on their reservations, which she
said contradicted Native American principles of stewardship of the

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earth. She also proposed that America invest in alternative energy
sources such as hydroelectricity, solar power, and wind power.
These women helped protect our environment and our people while
challenging the status quo and breaking social barriers. Their
achievements inspired generations of American women and men not only to
save our planet, but also to overcome obstacles and pursue their
interests and talents. They join a long and proud history of American
women leaders, and this month we honor the contributions of all women to
our Nation.
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 March 2009 as Women's
History Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe this month with
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history,
accomplishments, and contributions of American women.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of March,
in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BARACK OBAMA