Mother's Day, 2011

Proclamation 8671 of May 6, 2011

Mother's Day, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

As our society has changed, so have the challenges
facing women raising families. Many American women are
raising children at home while caring for an elderly
parent, holding down two jobs, serving as the sole
parent in a family, or defending our country overseas
as a service member. Our Nation's mothers not only look
after our needs and teach us to be compassionate and
responsible, but also manage households, build careers,
and improve our neighborhoods and communities. While
the roles and responsibilities of mothers have evolved,
their guidance and care remains as strong and constant
as ever.

On Mother's Day, we celebrate the extraordinary
importance of mothers in our lives. The bond of love
and dedication a mother shares with her children and
family is without bounds or conditions. Whether an
adoptive mom or grandmother, mother or partner, the
women who raise us show us that no hurdle is too high,
and no dream is beyond our reach. As sons and
daughters, we show our gratitude for the women in our
lives who care for us, shape our values, and set us on
the path to a limitless future.

Throughout our history, mothers have made remarkable
sacrifices for the well-being of their loved ones.
Nearly a century ago, Anna Jarvis, who had suffered the
loss of her beloved mother, campaigned with many other
Americans to make Mother's Day a recognized holiday and
pay respect to all women raising children. Today, we
continue to celebrate the influence, love, and
nurturing our mothers provide in our lives and in our
national life.

To support the parents who are raising tomorrow's
leaders, my Administration is committed to doing all we
can to create jobs and economic opportunities for
families across America. We are striving to help
mothers in the workplace by enforcing equal pay laws
and addressing workplace flexibility as families
balance the demands of work, child and elder care, and
education. My budget strengthens the Child and
Dependent Care Tax Credit to help families afford the
cost of quality childcare. The tax-cut package we
passed last December extended expansions of the Child
Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, providing a
tax cut for 15.7 million families with about 29.1
million children. The Affordable Care Act gives women
more access to health care and better resources to
protect the health of their families by requiring new
insurance plans to cover wellness benefits for
children, ending the exclusion of pre-existing
conditions by insurance companies, and extending
parents' health coverage for young adults up to age 26.
First Lady Michelle Obama's ``Let's Move!'' initiative
is also providing mothers with helpful tools to support
their children's healthy growth.

Mothers are the rocks of our families and a foundation
in our communities. In gratitude for their generous
love, patient counsel, and lifelong support, let us pay
respect to the women who carry out the hard work of
motherhood with skill and grace, and let us remember
those mothers who, though no longer with us, inspire us
still.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 8,
1914, (38 Stat. 770), has designated the second Sunday
in May each year as ``Mother's Day'' and requested the
President to call for its appropriate observance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 8,
2011, as Mother's Day. I urge all Americans to express
their love, respect, and gratitude to mothers
everywhere, and I call upon all citizens to observe
this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities.

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