[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 19 (Monday, May 13, 1996)]
[Page 798]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Proclamation 6892--Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, 1996

May 6, 1996

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

    Our national character has been enhanced by citizens who maintain 
and honor cultural values and customs brought from other lands. 
Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry have long been a part 
of that tradition, enriching the fabric of our society with their unique 
talents and abilities. This month provides a welcome opportunity to 
recognize these gifts and to celebrate the daily contributions that 
Asian and Pacific Americans make to our country's progress.
    Every sector of American life has benefited from the extraordinary 
leadership of those who trace their roots back to Asia and the Pacific 
Island region. In the arts and sciences, the business world, law, 
academia, and government, these remarkable individuals have expanded our 
horizons, achieving exceptional success and demonstrating a dedicated 
belief in equal opportunity. Asian and Pacific Americans have worked to 
overcome challenges, often in the face of discrimination and prejudice, 
and have successfully embraced the opportunities of the American Dream.
    As we stand on the threshold of the 21st century, ready to compete 
in the global marketplace and strengthen our partnerships with the 
nations of the Pacific Rim, let us draw on the strengths added by Asian 
and Pacific Americans and applaud their proud legacy of service and 
dedication to this country.
    To honor the accomplishments of Asian and Pacific Americans and to 
recognize their many contributions to our Nation, the Congress, by 
Public Law 102-450, has designated the month of May as ``Asian/Pacific 
American Heritage Month.''
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1996 as Asian/Pacific American 
Heritage Month. I call upon the people of the United States to observe 
this occasion with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of 
May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twentieth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:44 a.m., May 7, 1996]

Note: The proclamation was published in the Federal Register on May 8.