National Arts and Humanities Month, 2016

Proclamation 9505 of September 28, 2016

National Arts and Humanities Month, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout history, the arts and humanities have been
at the forefront of progress. In diverse mediums and
methods--whether through the themes of a novel, the
movement of a dancer, or a monologue on a stage--the
arts enrich our souls, inspire us to chase our dreams,
and challenge us to see things through a different
lens. During National Arts and Humanities Month, we
celebrate the important role the arts and humanities
have played in shaping the American narrative.

Our achievements as a society and a culture go hand-in-
hand. The arts embody who we are as a people and have
long helped drive the success of our country. They
provoke thought and encourage our citizenry to reach
new heights in creativity and innovation; they lift up
our identities, connecting what is most profound within
us to our collective human experiences.

In seeking to break down barriers and challenge our
assumptions, we must continue promoting and
prioritizing the arts and humanities, especially for
our young people. In many ways, the arts and humanities
reflect our national soul. They are central to who we
are as Americans--as dreamers and storytellers,
creators and visionaries. By investing in the arts, we
can chart a course for the future in which the threads
of our common humanity are bound together with creative
empathy and openness. When we engage with the arts, we
instill principles that, at their core, make us truer
to ourselves.

This month, we acknowledge all those who have proudly
and passionately dedicated their lives to these
diverse, beautiful, and often challenging forms of
expression. In our increasingly global economy, we
recognize the power of the arts and humanities to
connect people around the world. Be it through the pen
of a poet, the voice of a singer, or the canvas of a
painter, let us continue to harness the unparalleled
ways the arts and humanities bring people together.

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 October 2016 as
National Arts and Humanities Month. I call upon the
people of the United States to observe this month with
appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to
celebrate the arts and the humanities in America.

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