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

 
PROCLAMATION 9004--AUG. 23, 2013

Proclamation 9004 of August 23, 2013

50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands converged on the National Mall
to take part in what the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called
``the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.''
Demonstrators filled the landscape--from the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial, alongside the still waters of the reflecting pool, to the
proud base of the Washington Monument. They were men and women; young
and old; black, white, Latino, Asian, and Native American--woven
together like a great American tapestry, sharing in the dream that our
Nation would one day make real the promise of liberty, equality, and
justice for all.



[[Page 1342]]

The March on Washington capped off a summer of discontent, a time when
the clarion call for civil rights was met with imprisonment, bomb
threats, and base brutality. Many of the marchers had endured the smack
of a billy club or the blast of a fire hose. Yet they chose to respond
with nonviolent resistance, with a fierce dignity that stirred our
Nation's conscience and paved the way for two major victories of the
Civil Rights Movement--the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.
Today, we remember that the March on Washington was a demonstration for
jobs as well as freedom. The coalition that brought about civil rights
understood that racial equality and fairness for workers are bound
together; when one American gets a raw deal, it jeopardizes justice for
everyone. These are lessons we carry forward--that we cannot march
alone, that America flourishes best when we acknowledge our common
humanity, that our future is linked to the destiny of every soul on
earth.
It is not enough to reflect with pride on the victories of the Civil
Rights Movement. In honor of every man, woman, and child who left
footprints on the National Mall, we must make progress in our time. Let
us guard against prejudice--whether at the polls or in the workplace,
whether on our streets or in our hearts--and let us pledge that, in the
words of Dr. King, ``we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down
like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.''
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 August 28, 2013, as
the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. I
call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs,
ceremonies, and activities that celebrate the March on Washington and
advance the great causes of jobs and freedom.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of
August, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.
BARACK OBAMA