[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 48931-48932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-24903]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 180 / Wednesday, September 17, 1997 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 48931]]
Proclamation 7020 of September 12, 1997
National Hispanic Heritage Month, 1997
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Throughout our history, America's promise of individual
freedom and opportunity has drawn millions upon
millions of immigrants from across the globe. As these
newcomers arrived, they gradually wove their own
traditions into the tapestry of our Nation's culture
and society. The world's economy is becoming ever more
interdependent and competitive, and these changes and
others brought on by the revolution in communication
technologies are lowering many of the old barriers to
economic, cultural, and intellectual exchange among
nations. In this new global community, we benefit
greatly from the contributions that Hispanic Americans
bring to our economy and our society.
As the youngest and fastest-growing segment of our
population, Hispanic Americans are an increasingly
vital part of our economy. In the first 3 years of our
Administration, more than 220,000 Hispanic-American-
owned businesses were created, and in recent years the
number of companies owned by Hispanic women, in
particular, has grown at three times the overall rate
of business growth. Our citizens with roots in South
and Central America, the Caribbean, and Spain have
inherited an entrepreneurial spirit and an intense work
ethic that have helped energize the strongest American
economy in a generation. The new head of the Small
Business Administration, Aida Alvarez, is a symbol of
that spirit and its importance to America. Along with
Secretary of Energy Federico Pena, Under Secretary of
Agriculture I. Miley Gonzales, and Ambassador Bill
Richardson, the United States Representative to the
United Nations, Administrator Alvarez reflects my
Administration's continuing commitment to bring highly
qualified Hispanic Americans into the highest levels of
Government.
Our Hispanic citizens also are vital to America's
success in expanding trade and developing closer ties
with nations throughout the Western Hemisphere. Sharing
a rich cultural and linguistic heritage with Hispanic
Americans, these nations are already among our closest
trading partners, and we hope to further expand our
relationships with them at the Summit of the Americas
next March.
The contributions of Hispanic Americans to the life of
our Nation are much more than economic. Their strong
commitment to family, community, and country sets a
shining example for all our people. Generations of
Hispanic Americans have served and sacrificed in
America's Armed Forces to defend liberty and advance
democracy throughout the world. And Hispanic culture
continues to deeply enrich our social, intellectual,
and artistic life.
To meet the challenges of the 21st century, we must
create a society that offers opportunity to all
Americans, requires responsibility from all Americans,
and nurtures a community of all Americans. Hispanic
Americans throughout our country are working to build
such a society. To honor them for their dedication to
this endeavor and for their many contributions to our
Nation and our culture, the Congress, by Public Law
100-402, has authorized and requested the President to
issue annually a proclamation designating September 15
through October 15 as ``National Hispanic Heritage
Month.''
[[Page 48932]]
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim September
15 through October 15, 1997, as National Hispanic
Heritage Month. I call upon all government officials,
educators, and the people of the United States to honor
this observance with appropriate programs, ceremonies,
and activities, and I encourage all Americans to
rededicate themselves to the pursuit of equality.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-second.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 97-24903
Filed 9-16-97; 9:04 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P
