Columbus Day, 2023

Proclamation 10648 of October 6, 2023

Columbus Day, 2023

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Today, we celebrate all the Italian Americans, whose
courage and character reflect and help define our
Nation.

In 1891, 11 Italian Americans were murdered in one of
the largest mass lynchings in our Nation's history. In
the wake of this horrific attack, President Benjamin
Harrison established Columbus Day in 1892. For so many
people across our country, that first Columbus Day was
a way to honor the lives that had been lost and to
celebrate the hope, possibilities, and ingenuity
Italian Americans have contributed to our country since
before the birth of our republic.

More than a century later, we mark Columbus Day with
that purpose--celebrating the heritage of Italian
Americans, whose hands helped build our Nation and
whose hearts have always carried faith in the American
Dream. For many Italian Americans, the story of
Christopher Columbus' voyage--from the Spanish port of
Palos de la Frontera on behalf of Queen Isabella I and
King Ferdinand II--remains a source of pride. It
reflects the stories of trips across the Atlantic that
so many Italian Americans grew up hearing at the dinner
table, whether tales of ancestors who set sail on
wooden boats across rough waters to begin new lives on
our shores or grandparents who immigrated here with
little more than hope in their hearts. These are
stories of people leaving everything they knew and
loved behind for the promise of opportunity in the
United States.

Today, we honor those stories told around the dinner
table and celebrate what these hopeful Italian American
newcomers brought to our Nation. Italian Americans are
educators, service members, doctors, engineers,
artists, Government officials, and leaders and
innovators in every field. The Italian American
community is also a source of strength for our Nation's
enduring relationship with Italy--an essential NATO
ally and partner in the European Union. Together, we
are working to address the challenges of our time,
especially supporting the people of Ukraine in defense
of their freedom.

America was founded on an idea: that we are all created
equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable
rights, and deserve to be treated equally throughout
our lives. Though we have never fully lived up to that
idea, our aspirations have never let us walk away from
it either. Today, we honor all the Italian Americans
who never walked away from our fundamental creed and
who, for generations, have helped realize the full
promise of our Nation.

In commemoration of Christopher Columbus' historic
voyage 531 years ago, the Congress, by joint resolution
of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C.
107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim
the second Monday of October of each year as ``Columbus
Day.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, do hereby proclaim
October 9, 2023, as Columbus Day. I direct that the
flag of the United States be displayed on all public
buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse
history and all who have contributed to shaping this
Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.