Leif Erikson Day, 2020

Proclamation 10097 of October 8, 2020

Leif Erikson Day, 2020

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

More than 1,000 years ago, the Norse explorer and
Viking Leif Erikson made landfall in modern-day
Newfoundland, likely becoming the first European to
discover the New World. Today, Leif Erikson represents
over a millennium of shared history between the Nordic
countries and the Americas and symbolizes the many
contributions of Nordic Americans to our great Nation.

Accomplished in the face of daunting danger and carried
out in service of Judeo-Christian values, Leif
Erikson's story reflects the fundamental truths about
the American character. On a mission to evangelize
Greenland, Leif Erikson and his crew were blown off
course. They had to brave the cold waters of the
northern Atlantic to find safe harbor on the North
American coastline. In surviving this ordeal, these
hardened Vikings tested the limits of human exploration
in a way that continues to inspire us today.

In 1825, six Norwegian families repeated this voyage,
landing their sloop in New York Harbor in the first
organized migration to the United States from
Scandinavia. Like the Puritans and pilgrims before
them, these people came to our Nation seeking religious
freedom and safety from persecution. Now, more than 11
million Americans can trace their roots to Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, and among them
stand Nobel Laureates, Academy Award winners, and
Legion of Merit recipients. Across our Nation, from the
Danish villages of western Iowa to the Norwegian Ridge
in Minnesota and the Finns of Michigan's Upper
Peninsula, Nordic Americans have left their mark on our
culture, economy, and society.

Nordic countries remain strong economic partners and
military allies of our Nation. They each hold important
roles in the Arctic Council, facilitating cooperation
on economic development, environmental conservation,
and indigenous rights. As North Atlantic Treaty
Organization Allies and partners, all five Nordic
countries greatly contribute to the peace and stability
of the transatlantic community and the entire world.
The United States greatly values their continued
friendship.

On Leif Erikson Day, we celebrate Nordic Americans
whose firm faith and resolve are woven into the fabric
of our Nation, and we commit to continuing our strong
diplomatic relationship with Scandinavian nations for
years to come.

To honor Leif Erikson, son of Iceland and grandson of
Norway, and to celebrate our Nordic-American heritage,
the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-566)
approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized the
President of the United States to proclaim October 9 of
each year as ``Leif Erikson Day.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 9, 2020, as
Leif Erikson Day. I call upon all Americans to
celebrate the contributions of Nordic Americans to our
Nation with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and
programs.

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