Black Music Month, 2005

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Part III

The President

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Proclamation 7907--Black Music Month, 2005

Proclamation 7908--Great Outdoors Month, 2005

Memorandum of June 2, 2005--Order of Succession of Officers To Act as
Secretary of Defense

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7907 of June 1, 2005

Black Music Month, 2005

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During Black Music Month, we pay tribute to a rich
musical tradition and honor the many contributions
African-American musicians, singers, and composers have
made to the culture of our Nation and to the world.
This powerful, moving, and soulful music speaks to
every heart, lifting us in times of sorrow and helping
us celebrate in times of joy.

Black music's origins are found in the work songs and
spirituals that bore witness to the cruelty of bondage
and the strength of faith. In the strains of those
songs, we hear the voice of hope in the face of
injustice. From those roots, black music has grown into
a diverse collection of styles, and it continues to
evolve today. Black music captures a part of the
American spirit and continues to have a profound impact
on our country.

This month is an opportunity to reflect upon the
achievements of African-American artists and to look
forward to the future. We remember Robert Johnson,
Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Ray
Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and countless
others for their love of music and their pioneering and
passionate spirit. We celebrate today's musicians who
continue to build upon the rich and vital heritage of
black music.

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 June 2005 as Black Music
Month. I encourage all Americans to learn more about
the history of black music and to enjoy the great
contributions of African-American musicians.

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

(Presidential Sig.)B