[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 3 (Monday, January 24, 2005)]
[Page 65]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7862--Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2005

 January 14, 2005

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a visionary American and a 
dedicated leader who believed deeply in liberty and dignity for every 
person. His faith and courage continue to inspire America and the world. 
We honor his life and his work.
    Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. King witnessed firsthand the 
injustice of a segregated society. He realized that change was necessary 
to ensure the full promise of our Constitution for all Americans, and 
his charismatic leadership awakened the conscience of America.
    Dr. King's dream inspired our Nation with what he called ``a certain 
kind of fire that no water could put out.'' Since Dr. King's involvement 
in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, Americans have 
witnessed the power of the law to prevent injustice and encourage the 
finest qualities of our Nation. Last year, we celebrated the 40th 
anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Once this landmark 
legislation was signed into law, Americans could no longer be denied a 
room in a hotel or a table at a restaurant because of their race.
    Our Nation has accomplished much over the past 40 years. Our journey 
toward justice and equality has not always been an easy one, and it is 
not over. However long the journey, our destination is set: liberty and 
justice for all. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., believed in the good that 
exists in all men and women. We will remember the work of Dr. King as we 
continue striving to meet the founding ideals of our great Nation.
    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 Monday, January 17, 2005, 
as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all 
Americans to observe this day with appropriate activities and programs 
that honor the memory and legacy of Dr. King.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day 
of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
ninth.
                                                George W. Bush

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 9:29 a.m., January 19, 
2005]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on January 15, and it was published in the Federal Register on 
January 21.