National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2004

Proclamation 7814 of September 14, 2004

National Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Week, 2004

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

This year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of
Brown v. Board of Education and the 40th anniversary of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we recognize our
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
for their extraordinary accomplishments in education
and for extending the promise of our Nation's founding
to all of our citizens. Historically Black Colleges and
Universities were created to educate African Americans
when they were wrongly denied the opportunity to attend
school during the 19th century. Today, these great
institutions continue to advance equal opportunity and
excellence in education. In 2002, HBCUs enrolled 14
percent of all African Americans attending college.
Their graduates are leaders in medicine, education,
government, the military, business, the arts, the law,
and many other fields. They include such heroes as
Thurgood Marshall, who led the struggle for equal
justice under law for African Americans and
successfully represented African-American
schoolchildren in Brown.

Half a century after the Supreme Court's historic
decision in Brown, America is still working to reach
the high calling of its ideals. Education remains the
path to equality and opportunity, and HBCUs are a vital
part of our national commitment to improving education
for all of our citizens. Funding for HBCUs is now at an
all-time high. By providing students with a quality
education, HBCUs are continuing to help America remain
a place of opportunity and hope for every citizen.

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 12 through
September 18, 2004, as National Historically Black
Colleges and Universities Week. I call upon public
officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of
the United States to observe this week with appropriate
ceremonies, activities, and programs to show our
respect and appreciation for these remarkable
institutions and their graduates.

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

(Presidential Sig.)B