[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Proclamation 7814 of September 14, 2004


 
National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2004


By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

This year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of
Education and the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we
recognize our Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for
their extraordinary accomplishments in education and for extending the
promise of our Nation's founding to all of our citizens. Historically
Black Colleges and Universities were created to educate African
Americans when they were wrongly denied the opportunity to attend school
during the 19th century. Today, these great institutions continue to
advance equal opportunity and excellence in education. In 2002, HBCUs
enrolled 14 percent of all African Americans attending college. Their
graduates are leaders in medicine, education, government, the military,
business, the arts, the law, and many other fields. They include such
heroes as Thurgood Marshall, who led the struggle for equal justice
under law for African Americans and successfully represented African-
American schoolchildren in Brown.
Half a century after the Supreme Court's historic decision in Brown,
America is still working to reach the high calling of its ideals.
Education remains the path to equality and opportunity, and HBCUs are a
vital part of our national commitment to improving education for all of
our citizens. Funding for HBCUs is now at an all-time high. By providing
students with a quality education, HBCUs are continuing to help America
remain a place of opportunity and hope for every citizen.
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 12 through
September 18, 2004, as National Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Week. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians,
and all the people of the United States to observe this week with
appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to show our respect and
appreciation for these remarkable institutions and their graduates.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
ninth.
GEORGE W. BUSH

PROCLAMATION 7815--SEPT. 14, 2004

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118 STAT. 4178