National Birmingham Pledge Week, 2001

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Part IV

The President

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Proclamation 7460--National Birmingham Pledge Week, 2001

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7460 of September 8, 2001

National Birmingham Pledge Week, 2001

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The United States has grown strong and vibrant because
of its diversity and common values. Representing
different religions, cultures, ethnic groups, and
backgrounds, our citizens have laid the foundation for
our country's remarkable achievements.

As a Nation, we celebrate those achievements and look
forward to new challenges. At the same time, we also
recognize that racism still exists in America.

One of the darkest days for the cause of civil rights
was September 15, 1963, when a bomb exploded in the
basement of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in
Birmingham, Alabama. The blast ended the lives of four
young African-American girls, and ultimately
demonstrated the tragic human costs of bigotry and
intolerance.

Through the efforts of heroes like Martin Luther King,
Jr., and other brave men and women of the civil rights
movement, our Nation has made progress in battling
racism and building a society that more fully lives up
to its democratic ideals. However, regardless of the
decades that have passed, despicable acts such as the
Birmingham bombing remain an unforgettable reminder of
the need for continued vigilance against those who
would infest our society with hate.

The Birmingham Pledge, started in 1998, forges a
positive legacy from the lessons of the Birmingham
tragedy. The Pledge encourages people to take personal
responsibility for conducting themselves in ways that
will achieve greater racial harmony in our communities.
It calls for a commitment to ``treat all people with
dignity and respect.'' This is our solemn duty as
citizens.

As part of National Birmingham Pledge Week, I
encourage all Americans to join me in renewing our
commitment to fight racism and uphold equal justice and
opportunity. We also must strive to treat each other
with civility, to love our neighbors, and to extend the
American dream to every willing heart. By doing so, we
can fulfill our Nation's promise and build brighter
futures for all our citizens as we look forward to the
challenges of tomorrow.

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 9-15, 2001, as
National Birmingham Pledge Week. I call upon the people
of the United States to mark this observance with
appropriate programs and ceremonies.

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

(Presidential Sig.)B