Read Across America Day, 2013

Proclamation 8936 of February 28, 2013

Read Across America Day, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Today, people of all ages will mark Read Across America
Day by celebrating stories that have shaped us. We take
this opportunity to reflect on the transformative power
of the written word and lift up literacy as a key to
success in the 21st century.

We also take time to remember Theodor Seuss Geisel--
better known as Dr. Seuss--whose works of humor and
heart remind us that it is never too early to kindle a
passion for reading. Books open the window to worlds of
imagination, and the lessons they teach form the
bedrock for a lifetime of learning. By encouraging
reading at home and in school, parents, caregivers, and
educators help set our children on the path to years of
fulfillment and possibility. American progress depends
on what we do for our students, so all of us must
strive to empower the next generation with the tools
they need to build a brighter future.

Great written works resonate with us. They challenge
us. They reveal new insights about ourselves and the
world we share. Today, as we celebrate the ways reading
has enriched our lives, let us recommit to giving our
sons and daughters the fullest opportunity to find
inspiration on the printed page.

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 March 1, 2013, as
Read Across America Day. I call upon children,
families, educators, librarians, public officials, and
all the people of the United States to observe this day
with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-eighth day of February, 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.