    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 10075 of September 11, 2020
    National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2020
    By the President of the United States of America
    A Proclamation
    For more than 180 years, our Nation's Historically Black Colleges and
    Universities (HBCUs) have exhibited remarkable excellence in higher
    education and served as engines of opportunity and advancement for
    thousands of Black Americans. During National Historically Black
    Colleges and Universities Week, we celebrate the achievements of HBCUs
    and their students and pledge our continuing support to the nearly
    300,000 individuals currently pursuing their dreams at HBCUs throughout
    the United States.
    For nearly two centuries, HBCU graduates have profoundly shaped American
    life and culture. In science and technology, HBCU graduates

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    have led the way in innovation, like engineer and inventor Otis Boykin,
    who held more than 20 patents during his lifetime, including for a wire
    precision resistor used in radios and televisions, and for a control
    unit used in pacemakers that helped save countless lives. From thought
    leaders like Booker T. Washington and civil rights heroes like Martin
    Luther King, Jr., to great legal minds like Thurgood Marshall and
    renowned authors like James Weldon Johnson, our Republic is more vibrant
    because of HBCUs and their students.
    My Administration will always stand beside these wonderful colleges and
    universities as they pursue their mission to provide their students with
    a high-quality education. In order to further promote the success of
    HBCUs in the years to come, I signed an Executive Order in February of
    2017 on the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation
    at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This action established
    the President's Board of Advisors on HBCUs, and as a result, 32 Federal
    departments and agencies now have plans in place to help HBCUs secure
    available Federal resources and opportunities. Additionally, my
    Administration recently released a Framework for the Development of a
    Federal HBCU Competitiveness Strategy, further facilitating productive
    partnerships between HBCU students and faculty members and public and
    private-sector entities.
    This year, National HBCU Week also coincides with the 150th anniversary
    of two of South Carolina's great historically black institutions: Allen
    University and Benedict College. Our Nation joins these schools in
    celebrating this significant milestone and their incredible legacies.
    Last year, at Benedict College, I was proud to highlight an increase of
    more than 13 percent in Federal funding for HBCUs under my
    Administration. In addition, I signed into law the FUTURE Act, which
    reauthorized more than $85 million in funding for HBCUs, securing
    permanent funding for our Nation's historically black institutions and
    helping ensure their financial security for future generations.
    My Administration has also continued to prioritize HBCUs during the
    coronavirus pandemic, and we remain committed to helping them safely
    reopen for in-person classes. As part of this effort, the Coronavirus
    Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which I signed into law
    in March of this year, provided $930 million in higher education
    emergency relief funds for HBCUs. During these challenging times, my
    Administration is working to meet the needs of these great institutions
    and their students as they seek to safely reopen their doors. We know
    full well the important role they will play in our ongoing national
    recovery.
    HBCUs help empower young Americans from all backgrounds to achieve their
    American Dream. This week, we proudly reaffirm our support for HBCUs and
    pledge to continue to promote their success and provide support to their
    vital educational mission.
    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 20 through
    September 26, 2020, as National Historically Black Colleges and
    Universities Week, and further proclaim September 21, 2020, as National
    HBCU Colors Day. I call upon educators, public officials, professional
    organizations, corporations, and all Americans to proudly don
    institutional colors and observe this week and day with

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    appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that acknowledge the
    countless contributions these institutions and their alumni have made to
    our country. 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 eleventh day of
    September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    fifth.
    DONALD J. TRUMP