National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2016

Proclamation 9527 of October 26, 2016

National Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Week, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs) are living monuments to the cause that has
driven each generation of our citizens in the task of
perfecting our Union--helping ensure that all people
can experience the fullest measure of equality,
justice, and possibility. Embodying the notion that the
ability to pursue a higher education should be an
opportunity available to all, rather than a privilege
for a few, these campuses were built from a
determination to widely and profoundly expand the reach
of our country's promise. During National Historically
Black Colleges and Universities Week, we celebrate this
aspiration and reaffirm our support for HBCUs.

Rendered possible by the extraordinary sacrifices and
commitment of women and men who resolved to make real
and enduring the new birth of freedom that echoed
across our country following the end of the Civil War,
the rise of these proud institutions marked the
beginning of a new chapter in our national narrative.
With each generation, HBCUs have shaped America for the
better in indelible ways. From a pastor who would give
voice to equality's cause to the great-grandson of a
slave who would reach the bench of our highest court;
from pioneers of medical and scientific breakthroughs
to creators of innovative and prosperous businesses;
from artists who expand the boundaries of expression to
historians who illuminate our past and help us write
our future, so much of the progress that has come to
define America has been carried forward by graduates,
academics, and leaders of these colleges and
universities.

Since I took office, my Administration has focused on
expanding opportunity and opening doors of higher
education for more people. We have increased Pell
Grants, expanded student loan assistance going directly
to students, cut taxes for those paying tuition,
allowed students to cap their Federal loan payments at
10 percent of their income, and created the College
Scorecard to assist prospective students in
understanding their options for pursuing a higher
education. Today, more Americans are earning a degree
in post-secondary education than ever before, and HBCUs
are playing an important role. In the 6 years since I
signed an Executive Order bolstering the White House
Initiative on HBCUs, we have helped ensure that more
students have greater opportunities and that these
institutions can benefit from a fuller range of Federal
programs and assistance. HBCUs and community colleges
help build our Nation's economy and strengthen the
middle class, which is why I am working to make 2 years
of community college free for hardworking students
across our country through America's College Promise--a
proposal that also helps 4-year HBCUs provide more low-
income students with up to 2 years of college for free
or at reduced tuition.

This week, we recognize the ways in which HBCUs are
central to our experience as a Nation and recommit
ourselves to the work that lies ahead. Let us honor the
spirit in which these institutions were constructed by
reaffirming the enduring truths at their core, and let
us continue endeavoring

to ensure all people have the chance to access higher
education and secure ever greater opportunity.

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 23 through
October 29, 2016, 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
twenty-first day of October, 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.