[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 14 (Monday, April 11, 1994)]
[Pages 665-666]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
of Reconciliation

April 3, 1994

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    In this season of Easter and Passover, as we mark the twenty-sixth 
anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I call upon 
every American to reflect on the meaning of his teachings, to measure 
the progress we have made in achieving the dream he shared, and to 
rededicate ourselves to the end of violence and to the true spirit of 
community for which he lived and died. We must remain a Nation that is 
not too cynical to restore hope, not too frightened to face our 
problems, and not too intolerant to seek reconciliation.
    Too many of our children hunger for lives with order and meaning. 
They are easy prey to anger and narrow-mindedness, to violence, and to 
impulses that debase their own lives and others. Too many, in their own 
struggle to survive, cannot imagine a world that is safe, secure and 
full of hope. We must do better than this.
    Happily, most of our children still face the world with courage and 
hope. They want to grow up to be good parents and good citizens. They 
want to have good marriages, good friendships. They want to make the 
world a better place.
    They remain our greatest hope. Let us resolve to teach them as Dr. 
King did, not so much by eloquent words as by meaningful actions.
    Let us lead them by example, as we respect all people, draw strength 
from our diversity, and face our challenges with determination and 
goodwill so that Dr. Martin Luther King's dream of equality for our 
children will never be lost.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Monday, 
April 4, 1994, as a ``National Day of Reconciliation.'' On this day, let 
us pause to reflect upon what our divisiveness, our intolerance and our 
insecurity teach our children. Let us remember and recognize that each 
of us bears the profound responsibility of bringing Dr. King's message 
of unity, compassion and equality to our schools and our playgrounds, 
our places of work and worship, our seats of governance, and into our 
homes and our hearts. And when we are judged, not by the rich or 
powerful, but by history and by our children, let it be said that we 
overcame our differences for the sake of our children. We shared a 
common dream for the future.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of 
April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of 
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
eighteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:42 a.m., April 5, 
1994]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on April 
6.

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