Minority Enterprise Development Week, 2013

Vol. 78

Monday,

No. 231

December 2, 2013

Part VII

The President

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Proclamation 9062--Minority Enterprise Development Week, 2013

Proclamation 9063--Thanksgiving Day, 2013

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 9062 of November 26, 2013

Minority Enterprise Development Week, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

This August, as we marked the 50th anniversary of the
March on Washington, we were reminded that the measure
of America's progress is not whether the doors of
opportunity are cracked a little wider for a few, but
whether our economic system provides a fair shot for
the many. Minority-owned businesses play a crucial part
in driving this progress--not only when their founders
pursue their fullest measure of success, but also when
they offer employees of all backgrounds a chance to
enter the ranks of the American middle class. During
Minority Enterprise Development Week, we recognize the
strength of our diverse workforce and the many ways
minority entrepreneurs contribute to our economy, our
society, and our Nation's fundamental promise.

America's minority enterprises include everything from
Main Street cornerstones that sustain communities to
global firms that drive innovation in the industries of
tomorrow. Together, these businesses employ almost 6
million Americans and contribute 1 trillion dollars to
our economy every year. Minority entrepreneurs bring
unique perspectives to every corner of our country, and
their understanding of diverse cultures often gives
them an advantage in the international marketplace.

As our economy continues to recover, our investments in
minority owned and operated firms will help create
jobs, strengthen families, and build ladders of
opportunity in underserved communities. Over the past 5
years, my Administration has worked to empower minority
entrepreneurs by connecting them with billions of
dollars in contracts and access to capital. And to
better serve America's business community, we launched
www.Business.USA.gov, where any firm can seek out
financing opportunities, navigate Federal bureaucracy,
and cut through red tape.

This week, we celebrate America's minority enterprises,
renew our commitment to helping them grow, and look
with pride toward the promise of the future.

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 December 1 through
December 7, 2013, as Minority Enterprise Development
Week. I call upon all Americans to celebrate this week
with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities
to recognize the many contributions of our Nation's
minority enterprises.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-sixth day of November, 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.