A National Month of Unity, 1996

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Part VII

The President

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Proclamation 6908--A National Month of Unity, 1996

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 6908 of July 1, 1996

A National Month of Unity, 1996

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Our Nation was founded by people who sought the right
to worship freely, and religious liberty is enshrined
in our Constitution as the ``first freedom'' granted by
our Bill of Rights. The United States is now the most
multi-ethnic, multi-religious democracy in history, and
we must preserve this precious freedom while making the
most of our diversity. Ours is a great and noble
struggle to make our national voice a chorus of unity--
varied by differing intonations, but carried and lifted
by a rich harmony.

The recent rash of arson attacks against black churches
and other houses of worship is a stark reminder that
our work to build common ground is far from over and
that our progress can be threatened by forces that tear
at the very fabric of our society. It is hard to think
of a more heinous act than the destruction of a sacred
structure. The violence that charred and defaced these
buildings challenges our fundamental right to worship
in safety, and has left us grim emblems of the hatred
and alienation that too often darken our daily
experience.

And so we must look into our hearts as America
approaches the new century, pledging to devote our
energies to reinvigorating the shared values that will
enable us to embrace the future together. We must never
go back to the terrible days of racial and ethnic
division, nor can we afford to dismiss our problems by
ascribing them to isolated groups or areas of the
country. Instead, let us join hands to lighten our
burdens and build bridges among people and communities
so that we can be one America--a Nation of
extraordinary possibility with opportunity, freedom,
and respect for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 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 July 1996, as A National
Month of Unity. I call upon religious leaders of all
faiths to emphasize the need for healing and tolerance.
I ask all Americans to join these efforts by working
together to mend divisions and promote understanding;
by reaching out to friends and neighbors of all races
and faiths in a spirit of fellowship; and by seeking to
strengthen, through words and actions, the ideals of
equality and community cherished by generations of
Americans. In this birth month of our Nation, let us
set an example for the world we welcome to Atlanta for
the Centennial Olympic Games by rededicating ourselves
to America's fundamental truth: E pluribus unum--from
many, one.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and twentieth.