Women's History Month, 1997

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 6975 of March 3, 1997

Women's History Month, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout the history of our Nation, women have played
a pivotal role in bringing about positive change to
every aspect of American life, and their achievements
continue to touch the lives of every single citizen.
Women's History Month honors the women who made these
accomplishments possible, securing their rightful place
in history among those who have made our country great.
This month, we celebrate these women's lives--and renew
our commitment to breaking down the gender barriers
that still exist.

Through their courage, foresight, and community spirit
over the years, American women have created a world of
opportunity for today's heroines and role models--women
such as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the
highest ranking woman to serve in any presidential
administration; Dr. Shannon W. Lucid, who has performed
five historic and complex Space Shuttle missions during
18 years with NASA and recently broke the American and
women's world record for continuous time in space;
Oseola McCarty, who in 1995 donated the life savings
she had earned as a maid to fund scholarships at the
University of Mississippi; and Julie Su, the young
attorney who first came to prominence through her
efforts to expose illegal exploitation of Thai
immigrants in a California sweatshop and who continues
to help immigrants to secure proper medical care,
employment, and the dignity they deserve. The pioneers
in women's history would be proud of today's women
pioneers.

As we approach the 21st century, we have reached
another significant milestone in our Nation's history:
Women have approached an almost equal share in the
labor force. Thus, it is more important than ever that
we enable women and men to meet their responsibilities
at work and at home.

Women continue to break the glass ceiling, changing
their status from employee to employer. Today, women-
owned businesses are creating one out of every four
jobs in the United States. From the classroom to the
board room, women now occupy every part of the work
force, building the kinds of lives for themselves and
their families that are the heart of the American
Dream.

Women's History Month provides Americans with an
opportunity to celebrate the contributions of all the
women who have enriched our Nation, to honor their
legacy, and to reflect upon what we can all do to end
discrimination against women. I encourage all Americans
to learn from, and share information about, women's
history in their workplaces, classrooms, and family
rooms. As every family has its own heroes, so does our
country. Only by studying the history of America's
women can we fully understand the history of America.

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 of America, do hereby proclaim March 1997, as
Women's History Month. I ask educators, Government
officials, and all citizens to observe this month with
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities,
remembering not only this month but also every month
the many different contributions that women make every
day.

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