    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 37 (Monday, September 17, 2001)]
    [Page 1291]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Proclamation 7460--National Birmingham Pledge Week, 2001

     September 8, 2001

    By the President of the United States

    of America

    A Proclamation

        The United States has grown strong and vibrant because of its
    diversity and common values. Representing different religions, cultures,
    ethnic groups, and backgrounds, our citizens have laid the foundation
    for our country's remarkable achievements.
        As a Nation, we celebrate those achievements and look forward to new
    challenges. At the same time, we also recognize that racism still exists
    in America.
        One of the darkest days for the cause of civil rights was September
    15, 1963, when a bomb exploded in the basement of the Sixteenth Street
    Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The blast ended the lives of four
    young African-American girls, and ultimately demonstrated the tragic
    human costs of bigotry and intolerance.
        Through the efforts of heroes like Martin Luther King, Jr., and
    other brave men and women of the civil rights movement, our Nation has
    made progress in battling racism and building a society that more fully
    lives up to its democratic ideals. However, regardless of the decades
    that have passed, despicable acts such as the Birmingham bombing remain
    an unforgettable reminder of the need for continued vigilance against
    those who would infest our society with hate.
        The Birmingham Pledge, started in 1998, forges a positive legacy
    from the lessons of the Birmingham tragedy. The Pledge encourages people
    to take personal responsibility for conducting themselves in ways that
    will achieve greater racial harmony in our communities. It calls for a
    commitment to ``treat all people with dignity and respect.'' This is our
    solemn duty as citizens.
        As part of National Birmingham Pledge Week, I encourage all
    Americans to join me in renewing our commitment to fight racism and
    uphold equal justice and opportunity. We also must strive to treat each
    other with civility, to love our neighbors, and to extend the American
    dream to every willing heart. By doing so, we can fulfill our Nation's
    promise and build brighter futures for all our citizens as we look
    forward to the challenges of tomorrow.
        Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, 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 9-15, 2001, as
    National Birmingham Pledge Week. I call upon the people of the United
    States to mark this observance with appropriate programs and ceremonies.
        In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of
    September, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
    sixth.
                                                    George W. Bush

     [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 9:02 a.m., September
    11, 2001]

    Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on September 8, and it was published in the Federal Register
    on September 12.