[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8941--MAR. 21, 2013

Proclamation 8941 of March 21, 2013

Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2013
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
In a letter to his nephew, Thomas Jefferson once wrote, ``an honest
heart being the first blessing, a knowing head is the second.'' It is a
notion that rings as true today as it did in 1785: that just as we owe
our children a strong start in the classroom, so must we pass on the
common values that help define us as a people. On Education and Sharing
Day, U.S.A., we celebrate hard work, service, and commitment to learning
as cornerstones of a bright future for our youth.
We know education is essential to putting our children on the path to
good jobs and a decent living. It is a simple fact that to out-compete
the rest of the world for tomorrow's jobs, we need to equip our sons and
daughters with the education and skills a 21st-century economy demands.
We need to give them every chance to work harder, learn more, and reach
higher, from cradle to career.
We also know that learning does not stop when students leave the
classroom. Whether at the dinner table or on the field, it is our task
as parents, teachers, and mentors to make sure our children grow up
practicing the values we preach. We have an obligation to instill in
them the virtues that define our national character--honesty and
independence, drive and discipline, courage and compassion. And as
citizens of a country where so much progress came only after we fought
for fairness and equality, we must remember the wisdom of the Golden
Rule by treating others as we would want to be treated.
This day recalls the memory of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the
Lubavitcher Rebbe, who taught generations of young men and women the
importance of education and good character. His work strengthened ties
between people around the world, and his legacy continues to inspire the
service, charity, and goodwill he championed in life. As we reflect on
the example he and so many others have set, let each of us strive to
better realize the values we share.
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 22, 2013, as
Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A. I call upon all Americans to observe
this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of
March, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA