Read Across America Day, 2014

Proclamation 9087 of February 28, 2014

Read Across America Day, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Literacy is the foundation of every child's education.
It opens doorways to opportunity, transports us across
time and space, and binds family and friends closer
together. When parents, educators, librarians, and
mentors read with children, they give a gift that will
nourish souls for a lifetime. Today, Americans young
and old will take time to get lost in a story and do
their part to cultivate the next generation of talent
and intellect.

This day is also a time to honor the legacy of Theodor
Seuss Geisel, known to us as Dr. Seuss. Countless
Americans can recall his books as their first step into
the lands of letters and wordplay. With creatures,
contraptions, and vibrant characters, they have led
generations of happy travelers through voyages of the
imagination. Yet his tales also challenge dictators and
discrimination. They call us to open our minds, to take
responsibility for ourselves and our planet. And they
remind us that the value of our possessions pales in
comparison to that of the ties we share with family,
friends, and community.

From children's stories to classic works of literature,
the written word allows us to see the world from new
perspectives. It helps us understand what it means to
be human and what it means to be American. During Read
Across America Day, let us celebrate, rediscover, and
engage our children in this wonderful pastime.

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 March 3, 2014, as
Read Across America Day. I call upon children,
families, educators, librarians, public officials, and
all the people of the United States to observe this day
with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

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