Literacy Day, 2006

Proclamation 8053 of September 15, 2006

Literacy Day, 2006

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The ability to read is the gateway to educational
excellence and a key to success in any democratic
society. On Literacy Day, we recognize the vital
importance of literacy to our Nation and affirm our
commitment to helping improve the lives of the men,
women, and children in America and around the world who
cannot read.

Our society has a responsibility to ensure individuals
have the educational opportunities to learn to read.
Literacy is a basic requirement for healthy societies
and enables people to better care for themselves and
their families. Reading also encourages participation
in the democratic process and helps people reach their
full potential through self-reliance and independence.

My Administration is committed to helping children and
adults gain the reading skills they need to succeed in
life. Through No Child Left Behind programs such as
Reading First, Early Reading First, and Striving
Readers, we are challenging the soft bigotry of low
expectations and helping to provide students with the
foundation to achieve their dreams. Reading also helps
adults to be better consumers, and wider literacy
increases economic participation, which helps to create
more stable and vibrant economies. The White House
Conference on Global Literacy, led by First Lady Laura
Bush, is working to promote literacy for individuals of
all ages and help give people around the world the
skills necessary for success. By increasing literacy,
we can help change lives and equip all people with the
knowledge and tools to excel in the 21st century.

On Literacy Day, we recognize the great value of
reading and encourage individuals around the world to
take an active role in promoting literacy. Together, we
can build a stronger society and a bright future for
people everywhere.

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 18, 2006, as
Literacy Day. I call upon the people of the United
States to observe this day with programs and activities
that advance literacy for Americans and all the people
of the world. By donating books to local libraries,
volunteering to tutor, supporting international
literacy programs, and fostering a learning environment
in the home, citizens across this great Nation can make
a difference and help their fellow Americans and people
throughout the world enjoy the benefits of literacy.

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