[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 129, 114th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9326 of September 18, 2015

National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Ensuring all members of our American family have access to higher
education is fundamental to our society. A college degree can help
secure a place in the middle class and broaden horizons for people of
every background and belief. For years prior to the Civil War, this
promise was withheld from African Americans, and the lack of a
structured higher education system often prohibited them from earning
their rightful piece of the American dream. This week, we recognize the
sacrifices made by those who fought for the right of all our Nation's
students to have equal access to a quality education, and we recommit to
carrying their legacy forward by pledging our support for Historically
Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and all who attend them.
Countless champions from every corner of our country banded together to
create the first HBCUs to resolve injustices and enable more people to
realize their full talents and abilities. Though the barriers to higher
education for African Americans have not been completely broken down,
more than 100 HBCUs across our country have educated millions of
students. These institutions help build the foundation for our middle
class--they are places where dreams take flight and where opportunities
flourish. Generations of African Americans have learned and grown at
HBCUs, which have made extraordinary contributions to academia and
produced some of our Nation's finest thinkers and greatest innovators.
HBCUs are doing their part to help the United States reach our goal of
having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020,
because roughly half of the students that walk these halls of learning
are the first in their families to go to college. Additionally, HBCUs
are home to many who otherwise might not be able to afford a college
education--over 70 percent of those enrolled at HBCUs are from low-
income backgrounds. My Administration is dedicated to ensuring these
institutions have the resources they need, and I have made clear that
all Federal agencies are expected to assist with this mission and help
all students grow and thrive. To further support our goals for this
decade, we have committed hundreds of millions of dollars to strengthen
HBCUs and provide financial aid for those who attend them, and earlier
this year I announced a plan to open doors of opportunity for even more
of our people by making community college free for responsible and
hardworking students. In America, nobody should be denied an education
because they do not have the resources to pay for it.
This week, we reaffirm our support for HBCUs and recognize the great
impact they have had on students throughout history. Education is
freedom--freedom to learn, to grow, and to achieve our highest goals and
aspirations. Let us honor the heroes who helped extend this right to
more people, and let us rededicate ourselves to defending it so that all
of America's sons and daughters--no matter where they come from or what
they look like--can fulfill their God-given potential.

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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 20 through
September 26, 2015, 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 eighteenth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA