[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

,
Proclamation 8671 of May 6, 2011

Mother's Day, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
As our society has changed, so have the challenges facing women raising
families. Many American women are raising children at home while caring
for an elderly parent, holding down two jobs, serving as the sole parent
in a family, or defending our country overseas as a service member. Our
Nation's mothers not only look after our needs and teach us to be
compassionate and responsible, but also manage households, build
careers, and improve our neighborhoods and communities. While the roles
and responsibilities of mothers have evolved, their guidance and care
remains as strong and constant as ever.
On Mother's Day, we celebrate the extraordinary importance of mothers in
our lives. The bond of love and dedication a mother shares with her
children and family is without bounds or conditions. Whether an adoptive
mom or grandmother, mother or partner, the women who raise us show us
that no hurdle is too high, and no dream is beyond our reach. As sons
and daughters, we show our gratitude for the women in our lives who care
for us, shape our values, and set us on the path to a limitless future.
Throughout our history, mothers have made remarkable sacrifices for the
well-being of their loved ones. Nearly a century ago, Anna Jarvis, who
had suffered the loss of her beloved mother, campaigned with many other
Americans to make Mother's Day a recognized holiday and

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pay respect to all women raising children. Today, we continue to
celebrate the influence, love, and nurturing our mothers provide in our
lives and in our national life.
To support the parents who are raising tomorrow's leaders, my
Administration is committed to doing all we can to create jobs and
economic opportunities for families across America. We are striving to
help mothers in the workplace by enforcing equal pay laws and addressing
workplace flexibility as families balance the demands of work, child and
elder care, and education. My budget strengthens the Child and Dependent
Care Tax Credit to help families afford the cost of quality childcare.
The tax-cut package we passed last December extended expansions of the
Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, providing a tax cut for
15.7 million families with about 29.1 million children. The Affordable
Care Act gives women more access to health care and better resources to
protect the health of their families by requiring new insurance plans to
cover wellness benefits for children, ending the exclusion of pre-
existing conditions by insurance companies, and extending parents'
health coverage for young adults up to age 26. First Lady Michelle
Obama's ``Let's Move!'' initiative is also providing mothers with
helpful tools to support their children's healthy growth.
Mothers are the rocks of our families and a foundation in our
communities. In gratitude for their generous love, patient counsel, and
lifelong support, let us pay respect to the women who carry out the hard
work of motherhood with skill and grace, and let us remember those
mothers who, though no longer with us, inspire us still.
The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 8, 1914, (38 Stat.
770), has designated the second Sunday in May each year as ``Mother's
Day'' and requested the President to call for its appropriate
observance.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, do hereby proclaim May 8, 2011, as Mother's Day. I urge all
Americans to express their love, respect, and gratitude to mothers
everywhere, and I call upon all citizens to observe this day with
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of May,
in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA