[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 38 (Monday, September 21, 1998)]
[Pages 1800-1801]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7121--National Hispanic Heritage Month, 1998

September 15, 1998

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The presence of Hispanics on this continent predates the founding of 
our Nation, and, as among the first to settle in the New World, 
Hispanics and their descendants have had a profound and lasting 
influence on American history, values, and culture. Since the arrival of 
the earliest Spanish settlers more than 400 years ago, millions of 
Hispanic men and women have come to the United States from Mexico, 
Puerto Rico, Cuba and other Caribbean regions, Central America, South 
America, and Spain, in search of peace, freedom, and a more prosperous 
future. They brought with them a deep commitment to family and 
community, a strong work ethic, and an unwavering belief in the American 
Dream.
    In a Nation that derives so much of its strength from many cultures 
and races, Hispanic Americans are a thriving force in our society and a 
vital part of our economy. For example, businesses started and operated 
by Hispanic women constitute one of the fastest-growing categories of 
small business in the United States today. This entrepreneurial spirit 
has contributed to the strongest U.S. economy in a generation.

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    As we approach the 21st century and face the challenges of a global 
economy, we recognize that the success of our Nation is closely tied to 
the success of our citizens of Hispanic heritage, who are a large and 
increasing segment of our population. My Administration is committed to 
ensuring that Hispanic Americans have the opportunities they need to 
realize their dreams of a better life.
    The key to those drams is education. We must continue to reach out 
to Hispanic youth, encouraging them to stay in school, graduate from 
high school, and go on to college so that they can compete successfully 
for good jobs and take advantage of promising career opportunities. As 
part of these efforts, my Administration is committed to ensuring that 
our $600 million Hispanic Education Action Plan is fully funded. This 
initiative will provide the investments needed to help Hispanic students 
master basic skills and become proficient in English. It will also 
assist schools in implementing reforms to reduce dropout rates, enable 
adults to receive basic skills training and participate in English-as-a-
second-language programs, and offer assistance to colleges and 
universities that serve large numbers of Hispanic students.
    This month, as we remember with special gratitude the gifts that 
Hispanic Americans bring to every aspect of our national life, let us 
reaffirm our efforts to ensure that all Hispanic American families have 
the tools and opportunities they need to make the most of their lives. 
Working together, we can meet the challenges of the 21st century in a 
way that will celebrate our differences and unite us around our common 
values. To honor Hispanic Americans for their many contributions to our 
Nation and our culture, the Congress, by Public Law 100-402, has 
authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation 
designating September 15 through October 15 as ``National Hispanic 
Heritage Month.''
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim September 15 through October 15, 
1998, as National Hispanic Heritage Month. I call upon all government 
officials, educators, and the people of the United States to honor this 
observance with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day 
of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and twenty-third.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., September 16, 
1998]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
September 17.