National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2014

Proclamation 9172 of September 19, 2014

National Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Week, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For generations, the promise of an education has been a
beacon of hope for millions of Americans seeking a
better life. At a time when it was deemed illegal for
African Americans to learn to read or write, brave men
and women took great risks to learn these skills in
secret. And after the Civil War, determined individuals
made extraordinary sacrifices to establish the
institutions we know today as Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These schools waged
a war against illiteracy and ignorance and offered a
newly free people the opportunity to write their own
chapter in the American story. This week, we honor
their important legacy and renew our commitment to
their spirit: that every person deserves a chance to
succeed.

Over more than 150 years, HBCUs have provided students
with the tools to meet the challenges of a changing
world. These institutions are hubs of opportunity that
lift up Americans and instill in their students a sense
of who they are and what they can become. Their
campuses are engines of economic growth and community
service and proven ladders of intergenerational
advancement. Across our country, their graduates
strengthen our communities, lead our industries, and
serve our Nation. And their successes inspire the next
cohort of graduates and leaders.

HBCUs have forged pathways to help students overcome
barriers to equal opportunity, but more work remains to
ensure that a world-class education is within the reach
of every person willing to work for it. That is why my
Administration is fighting to make college more
affordable with larger grants and low-interest loans.
We are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in
HBCUs, and because half of all students at these
schools are the first in their family to attend
college, we are supporting programs that help these
first-generation scholars succeed. Our goal is to have
the highest proportion of college graduates in the
world by 2020, and investing in these institutions and
their students will play a vital part in meeting it.

Today, because of the work of bold leaders--and of
parents and grandparents who never dreamed of going to
college themselves but who saved and sacrificed so
their children could--more young people have the chance
to achieve their greatest potential and full measure of
happiness. During National Historically Black Colleges
and Universities Week, we recognize the ways these
schools have made our Nation more just and we continue
our work to make higher education accessible to every
child in America.

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 September 21 through
September 27, 2014, as National Historically Black
Colleges and Universities Week. I call upon educators,
public officials, professional organizations,
corporations, and all Americans to observe this week
with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities
that acknowledge the countless contributions these
institutions and their alumni have made to our country.

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