[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 214 (Friday, November 4, 2011)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 68623-68624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28844]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 76 , No. 214 / Friday, November 4, 2011 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 68623]]
Proclamation 8749 of November 1, 2011
National Native American Heritage Month, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
From the Aleutian Islands to the Florida Everglades,
American Indians and Alaska Natives have contributed
immensely to our country's heritage. During National
Native American Heritage Month, we commemorate their
enduring achievements and reaffirm the vital role
American Indians and Alaska Natives play in enriching
the character of our Nation.
Native Americans stand among America's most
distinguished authors, artists, scientists, and
political leaders, and in their accomplishments, they
have profoundly strengthened the legacy we will leave
our children. So, too, have American Indians and Alaska
Natives bravely fought to protect this legacy as
members of our Armed Forces. As service members, they
have shown exceptional valor and heroism on
battlefields from the American Revolution to Iraq and
Afghanistan. Native Americans have demonstrated time
and again their commitment to advancing our common
goals, and we honor their resolve in the face of years
of marginalization and broken promises. My
Administration recognizes the painful chapters in our
shared history, and we are fully committed to moving
forward with American Indians and Alaska Natives to
build a better future together.
To strengthen our economy and win the future for our
children, my Administration is addressing problems that
have burdened Native American communities for too long.
We are working to bolster economic development, expand
access to affordable health care, broaden post-
secondary educational opportunities, and ensure public
safety and tribal justice. In June, I signed an
Executive Order establishing the White House Rural
Council, to strengthen Federal engagement with tribal
governments and promote economic prosperity in Indian
Country and across rural America. This comes in
conjunction with several settlements that will put more
land into the hands of tribes and deliver long-awaited
trust reform to Indian Country.
To bring jobs and sustainable growth to tribal nations,
my Administration is connecting tribal economies to the
broader economy through transportation infrastructure
and high-speed Internet, as well as by focusing on
clean energy development on tribal lands. First Lady
Michelle Obama's recently launched Let's Move! in
Indian Country initiative will also redouble efforts to
encourage healthy living for American Indians and
Alaska Natives. These actions reflect my
Administration's ongoing commitment to progress for
Native Americans, which was reaffirmed last year when
we announced our support for the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Through a comprehensive strategy where the Federal
Government and tribal nations move forward as equal
partners, we can bring real and lasting change to
Indian Country.
This month, we celebrate the rich heritage and myriad
contributions of American Indians and Alaska Natives,
and we rededicate ourselves to supporting tribal
sovereignty, tribal self-determination, and prosperity
for all Native Americans. We will seek to strengthen
our nation-to-nation relationship by ensuring tribal
nations have a voice in shaping national policies
impacting tribal communities. We will continue this
dialogue at the White House Tribal Nations Conference
held in Washington, D.C. next month.
[[Page 68624]]
As we confront the challenges currently facing our
tribal communities and work to ensure American Indians
and Alaska Natives have meaningful opportunities to
pursue their dreams, we are forging a brighter future
for the First Americans and all Americans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim November 2011 as
National Native American Heritage Month. I call upon
all Americans to commemorate this month with
appropriate programs and activities, and to celebrate
November 25, 2011, as Native American Heritage Day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2011-28844
Filed 11-3-11; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P