    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 132, 115th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9786 of September 14, 2018

    National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2018

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week celebrates
    the extraordinary contributions of Historically Black Colleges and
    Universities (HBCUs) and pays tribute to their rich legacy of promoting
    equal opportunities for high-quality education. For more than 150 years,
    these pillars of higher education have opened doors to brighter futures
    for many Americans. Their continued leadership in providing educational
    opportunities to a broad and diverse range of students plays an
    important role in our Nation's academic successes, with their graduates
    influencing and enhancing every sector of our economy.
    For decades after the Civil War, under the harsh inequality of
    segregation and racial prejudice, the overwhelming majority of
    institutions of higher learning excluded minority students. Despite
    these adversities, the visionary leaders of HBCUs empowered their
    students by providing them opportunities for academic success. These
    institutions have produced many leaders in business, law, government,
    academia, and the military, and the rigorous education they offer has
    contributed to our national economic competitiveness and shared
    prosperity.
    My Administration is committed to investing in HBCUs to help ensure that
    they can educate future generations of American students. Earlier this
    year, after my Administration's bipartisan collaboration with the
    Congress, I signed into law legislation that increased Federal funding
    to important HBCU programs by more than 14 percent.
    Today, there are more than 100 HBCUs in 19 States, the District of
    Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Combined, they educate nearly
    300,000 enrolled students who will contribute their talents to
    bolstering our economy and serving our communities. This week, we
    reaffirm our support for HBCUs and recognize the profound influence they
    have had, and will continue to have, on our Nation. We are proud to
    support the tireless dedication of these institutions to advancing their
    students' full potential.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 16 through
    September 22, 2018, 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 fourteenth day of
    September, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    third.
    DONALD J. TRUMP