[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 128, 113th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 9172--SEPT. 19, 2014

Proclamation 9172 of September 19, 2014

National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For generations, the promise of an education has been a beacon of hope
for millions of Americans seeking a better life. At a time when it was
deemed illegal for African Americans to learn to read or write, brave
men and women took great risks to learn these skills in secret. And
after the Civil War, determined individuals made extraordinary
sacrifices to establish the institutions we know today as Historically
Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These schools waged a war
against illiteracy and ignorance and offered a newly free people the
opportunity to write their own chapter in the American story. This week,
we honor their important legacy and renew our commitment to their
spirit: that every person deserves a chance to succeed.
Over more than 150 years, HBCUs have provided students with the tools to
meet the challenges of a changing world. These institutions are hubs of
opportunity that lift up Americans and instill in their students a sense
of who they are and what they can become. Their campuses are engines of
economic growth and community service and proven ladders of
intergenerational advancement. Across our country, their graduates
strengthen our communities, lead our industries, and serve our Nation.
And their successes inspire the next cohort of graduates and leaders.
HBCUs have forged pathways to help students overcome barriers to equal
opportunity, but more work remains to ensure that a world-class
education is within the reach of every person willing to work for it.
That is why my Administration is fighting to make college more
affordable with larger grants and low-interest loans. We are investing
hundreds of millions of dollars in HBCUs, and because half of all
students at these schools are the first in their family to attend
college, we are supporting programs that help these first-generation
scholars succeed. Our goal is to have the highest proportion of college
graduates in the

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world by 2020, and investing in these institutions and their students
will play a vital part in meeting it.
Today, because of the work of bold leaders--and of parents and
grandparents who never dreamed of going to college themselves but who
saved and sacrificed so their children could--more young people have the
chance to achieve their greatest potential and full measure of
happiness. During National Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Week, we recognize the ways these schools have made our Nation more just
and we continue our work to make higher education accessible to every
child in America.
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 September 21 through
September 27, 2014, 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.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
ninth.
BARACK OBAMA