National Arts and Humanities Month, 2013

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 9027 of September 30, 2013

National Arts and Humanities Month, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout our history, America has advanced not only
because of our people's will or our leaders' vision,
but also because of paintings and poems, stories and
songs, dramas and dances. These works open our minds
and nourish our souls, helping us understand what it
means to be human and what it means to be American.
During National Arts and Humanities Month, we celebrate
the rich heritage of arts and humanities that has long
been at the core of our country's story.

Our history is a testament to the boundless capacity of
the arts and humanities to shape our views of
democracy, freedom, and tolerance. Each of us knows
what it is like to have our beliefs changed by a
writer's perspective, our understanding deepened by a
historian's insight, or our waning spirit lifted by a
singer's voice. These are some of the most striking and
memorable moments in our lives, and they reflect
lasting truths--that the arts and humanities speak to
everyone and that in the great arsenal of progress, the
human imagination is our most powerful tool.

Ensuring our children and our grandchildren can share
these same experiences and hone their own talents is
essential to our Nation's future. Somewhere in America,
the next great author is wrestling with a sentence in
her first short story, and the next great artist is
doodling in the pages of his notebook. We need these
young people to succeed as much as we need our next
generation of engineers and scientists to succeed. And
that is why my Administration remains dedicated to
strengthening initiatives that not only provide young
people with the nurturing that will help their talents
grow, but also the skills to think critically and
creatively throughout their lives.

This month, we pay tribute to the indelible ways the
arts and humanities have shaped our Union. Let us
encourage future generations to carry this tradition
forward. And as we do so, let us celebrate the power of
artistic expression to bridge our differences and
reveal our common heritage.

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 October 2013 as
National Arts and Humanities Month. I call upon the
people of the United States to join together in
observing this month with appropriate ceremonies,
activities, and programs to celebrate the arts and the
humanities in America.

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