    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9922 of September 6, 2019

    National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2019

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    For more than 180 years, America's Historically Black Colleges and
    Universities (HBCUs) have made extraordinary contributions to the
    general welfare and prosperity of our country by advancing the
    educational pursuits of African Americans and many others. These fine
    institutions help shape citizens of character and purpose, position them
    to thrive beyond graduation, and expand our Nation's pipeline of
    productivity by creating meaningful employment opportunities that
    empower talented employees to succeed in the workforce and in public
    service. During National Historically Black Colleges and Universities
    Week, we celebrate these pillars of higher learning, their unique
    history, and the pathways to success they provide for African American
    students and our country.
    While HBCUs comprise just 3 percent of all nonprofit colleges and
    universities, they enroll nearly 10 percent of all African American
    college students. Moreover, these institutions account for 17 percent of
    African Americans who earn their bachelor's degrees and 27 percent of
    those

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    who earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.
    My Administration has made HBCU success a national priority. I have
    signed legislation providing more than $404 million in funding for HBCU
    Higher Education Act programs and assisted 13 schools experiencing
    financial difficulty to restructure to be better positioned to meet
    student and community needs. HBCUs directly contribute $15 billion to
    our Nation's economy and directly support more than 134,000 jobs. We are
    working every day to enhance this sizable economic footprint.
    In accordance with my Executive Order establishing the President's Board
    of Advisors on HBCUs, 32 Federal agencies have outlined plans describing
    efforts to make HBCUs stronger and more competitive when seeking grants
    and other Federal support. Additionally, I have commissioned the
    Executive Office of the President to develop a unique Federal HBCU
    strategy that encourages HBCUs to partner with leaders in advancing
    local economic development goals. We will continue to strengthen the
    role of these institutions to help them improve the lives of their
    students, alumni, and the communities they serve.
    This year, as our Nation solemnly recognizes the 400th anniversary of
    the arrival of the first Africans in the American colonies in 1619, we
    take the time to herald the unyielding spirit of African Americans who
    have triumphed over enslavement, discrimination, oppression, and
    injustice. We commend HBCUs for all that they have done and continue to
    do to inspire and foster success in their students, preserve our
    history, and ensure that we remember, learn from, and build upon the
    past to create a brighter and more prosperous future for all Americans.
    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 8 through
    September 14, 2019, as National Historically Black Colleges and
    Universities Week, and further proclaim September 9, 2019, as the
    Inaugural National HBCU Colors Day. I call upon all Americans to observe
    this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities and to
    boldly, joyfully, and proudly don institutional colors.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of
    September, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    fourth.
    DONALD J. TRUMP