[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 39 (Monday, September 29, 1997)]
[Pages 1383-1384]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7024--Minority Enterprise Development Week, 1997

September 19, 1997

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The American economy today is the envy of the world. Since the 
beginning of my Administration, our economy has created nearly 13 
million new jobs, unemployment has declined to 4.9 percent, and America 
has once again become the world's leading exporter.
    Minority entrepreneurs have played a vital role in this success 
story. With their faith in our free enterprise system, their 
determination to overcome any barriers to success, their willingness to 
work long and hard and to make the most of every opportunity, they 
epitomize the American can-do spirit. they create jobs in communities 
where jobs are most needed, and they set a powerful example of 
achievement for young people seeking to make the most of their lives.

[[Page 1384]]

    In the years ahead, these minority business men and business women 
will become increasingly important to our Nation's competitive edge in 
the global economy, which will offer great rewards to those who truly 
understand life beyond our borders. Because of their racial, linguistic, 
and cultural diversity, minority entrepreneurs are uniquely positioned 
to meet the needs of this dynamic international marketplace.
    Recognizing the contributions that minority enterprises make to the 
social and economic fabric of our Nation, we must continue to remove any 
barriers that prevent talented men and women of every racial and ethnic 
background from participating fully in America's economic mainstream. 
Working in partnership, government and private industry must ensure that 
minority-owned firms have equal access to capital, technical assistance, 
new markets, and opportunities for growth. We must attract new 
entrepreneurs to the marketplace and encourage existing firms to expand. 
By doing so, we can ensure that America's promise will continue to shine 
brightly for all our people.
    As we observe Minority Enterprise Development Week, let us honor the 
energy, determination, and optimism of our Nation's minority 
entrepreneurs, whose hard work has done so much to help keep America 
strong, prosperous, and full of hope for the future.
    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 September 
21 through September 27, 1997, as Minority Enterprise Development Week. 
I call on all Americans to commemorate this event with appropriate 
ceremonies and activities in acknowledgment of the many contributions 
that minority entrepreneurs bring to our national life.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day 
of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and twenty-second.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:59 a.m., September 24, 
1997]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on September 22, and it was published in the Federal Register 
on September 25.