African-American Music Appreciation Month, 2010

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8527 of May 28, 2010

African-American Music Appreciation Month, 2010

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Music can tell a story, assuage our sorrows, provide
blessing and redemption, and express a soul's sublime
and powerful beauty. It inspires us daily, giving voice
to the human spirit. For many, including the African-
American community, music unites individuals through a
shared heritage. During African-American Music
Appreciation Month, we celebrate the extraordinary
legacy of African-American singers, composers, and
musicians, as well as their indelible contributions to
our Nation and our world.

Throughout our history, African-American music has
conveyed the hopes and hardships of a people who have
struggled, persevered and overcome. Through centuries
of injustice, music comforted slaves, fueled a cultural
renaissance, and sustained a movement for equality.
Today, from the shores of Africa and the islands of the
Caribbean to the jazz clubs of New Orleans and the
music halls of Detroit, African-American music reflects
the rich sounds of many experiences, cultures, and
locales.

African-American musicians have created and expanded a
variety of musical genres, synthesizing diverse
artistic traditions into a distinctive soundscape. The
soulful strains of gospel, the harmonic and
improvisational innovations of jazz, the simple truth
of the blues, the rhythms of rock and roll, and the
urban themes of hip-hop all blend into a refrain of
song and narrative that traces our Nation's history.

These quintessentially American styles of music have
helped provide a common soundtrack for people of
diverse cultures and backgrounds, and have joined
Americans together not just on the dance floor, but
also in our churches, in our public spaces, and in our
homes. This month, we honor the talent and genius of
African-American artists who have defined, shaped, and
enriched our country through music, and we recommit to
sharing their splendid gifts with our children and
grandchildren.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim June 2010 as African-
American Music Appreciation Month. I call upon public
officials, educators, and the people of the United
States to observe this month with appropriate
activities and programs that raise awareness and foster
appreciation of African-American music.

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