February 2013
Black History Month
As the Founders, we are delighted to share the proclamation from President Obama on Black History Month.
Sincerely,
Sylvia Y. Cyrus, Executive Director
Association for the Study of African American Life and History
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release January 31, 2013 NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH, 2013 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
In
America, we share a dream that lies at the heart of our founding: that
no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter how
modest your beginnings or the circumstances of your birth, you can make
it if you try. Yet, for many and for much of our Nation's history, that
dream has gone unfilled. For African Americans, it was a dream denied
until 150 years ago, when a great emancipator called for the end of
slavery. It was a dream deferred less than 50 years ago, when a preacher
spoke of justice and brotherhood from Lincoln's memorial. This dream of
equality and fairness has never come easily -- but it has always been
sustained by the belief that in America, change is possible.
Today,
because of that hope, coupled with the hard and painstaking labor of
Americans sung and unsung, we live in a moment when the dream of equal
opportunity is within reach for people of every color and creed.
National African American History Month is a time to tell those stories
of freedom won and honor the individuals who wrote them. We look back to
the men and women who helped raise the pillars of democracy, even when
the halls they built were not theirs to occupy. We trace generations of
African Americans, free and slave, who risked everything to realize
their God-given rights. We listen to the echoes of speeches and struggle
that made our Nation stronger, and we hear again the thousands who sat
in, stood up, and called out for equal treatment under the law. And we
see yesterday's visionaries in tomorrow's leaders, reminding us that
while we have yet to reach the mountaintop, we cannot stop climbing.
Today,
Dr. King, President Lincoln, and other shapers of our American story
proudly watch over our National Mall. But as we memorialize their
extraordinary acts in statues and stone, let us not lose sight of the
enduring truth that they were citizens first. They spoke and marched and
toiled and bled shoulder-to-shoulder with ordinary people who burned
with the same hope for a brighter day. That legacy is shared; that
spirit is American. And just as it guided us forward 150 years ago and
50 years ago, it guides us forward today. So let us honor those who came
before by striving toward their example, and let us follow in their
footsteps toward the better future that is ours to claim.
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 February 2013 as National African American History Month. I
call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of
the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs,
ceremonies, and activities.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
January, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
thirty-seventh.
BARACK OBAMA
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About Us
Established
on September 9, 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, we are the Founders of
Black History Month and carry forth the work of our founder, the Father
of Black History. We
continue his legacy of speaking a fundamental truth to the world--that
Africans and peoples of African descent are makers of history and
co-workers in what W. E. B. Du Bois called, "The Kingdom of Culture."
ASALH's mission is to create and disseminate knowledge about Black
History, to be, in short, the nexus between the Ivory Tower and the
global public. We labor in the service of Blacks and all humanity. For
more information go to www.asalh.org 202.238.5910
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