Presidential Document2021-19575
National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2021
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 9, 2021
Signed
September 3, 2021
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 172 (Thursday, September 9, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 172 (Thursday, September 9, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 50433-50435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19575]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 172 / Thursday, September 9, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 50433]]
Proclamation 10249 of September 3, 2021
National Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Week, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Since 1837, Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs) have educated and prepared
millions of people to lift up our Nation and make their
impact on the world. These essential institutions have
been critical engines of opportunity for generations of
American families--they are incubators of excellence,
helping to shape the story of our Nation and deliver on
the promise of a more perfect Union. During National
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, we
celebrate the vital role that HBCUs play in molding
Black leaders and ensuring that America continues to
move closer to reaching its full potential.
From Delaware State--which has always held a special
place in my heart--to more than 100 institutions across
the country, HBCU graduates are the bearers of a proud
and sacred tradition. It is the tradition of the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood
Marshall, of Toni Morrison and Langston Hughes, of
Reverend Jesse Jackson and Reverend William Barber. It
is the tradition of countless scholars and advocates;
leaders of industry, arts, and sciences; and leaders of
faith and community. It is the tradition of
trailblazers--including the first HBCU graduate elected
to the Vice Presidency, Kamala Harris. It is a
tradition rooted in a fundamental belief that quality
education is a right that belongs to all people--that
every single American should have a fair and equal
chance to go as far as their God-given talents can take
them.
Opposition to that belief has been a stain on our
Nation since its founding. After President Lincoln
signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Black Americans
were still subjected to persistent legal and social
discrimination. Laws were enacted to stifle their
progress, including laws that denied Black Americans
access to the same educational opportunities as white
Americans. Across the generations since, progress has
been won. Racial segregation of public schools was
struck down by the Supreme Court in a case successfully
argued by HBCU graduates. The Civil Rights Act of 1964
prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and
federally-funded programs. Over time, hearts and minds
have been changed. For more than 180 years, HBCUs have
been on the forefront of that progress.
Still, the wound--and the reality--of systemic racism
remains. We see it in our education system, our labor
force, our health care system, our criminal justice
system, and in so many other corners of our society. We
see it in the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed and
exacerbated longstanding disparities in areas like food
security, internet access, and medical care. For Black
women and girls, LGBTQ+ Black Americans, and Black
Americans with disabilities--we see it compounded with
other forms of discrimination and bias. As they have
throughout their existence, HBCUs have risen to the
occasion to serve their students and communities over
the last year and a half--helping to develop
breakthrough treatments, hosting life-saving COVID-19
vaccination sites, and nurturing movements for justice
and equality.
[[Page 50434]]
My Administration stands with HBCUs and is committed to
the fundamental American promise they represent: that
all of us are created equal and have a right to be
treated equally throughout our lives. Too many times
throughout our history, we have allowed a narrow,
cramped view of that promise to fester--the false idea
that America is a zero-sum game of opportunity, where a
person can only lift themselves up by holding others
down. It is critical that we shed that flawed way of
thinking and finally embrace what we know to be true:
that when any one of us is held back, we are all held
back, and when we lift each other up, we are all lifted
up.
That idea--the defining idea of America--is why I
issued an Executive Order on my first day in office
establishing a whole-of-government approach to equity
and racial justice. It is why I have built the most
diverse Cabinet in history, why I am appointing Black
judges to the Federal judiciary at an historic rate,
and why we are continuing to build an Administration
that truly looks like America.
It is also why we will continue to support HBCUs in
their vital mission. Imagine how much more creative and
innovative America would be if our HBCUs had the same
funding and resources as other institutions--allowing
young people from every community to compete for the
jobs and industries of the future. To help make that a
reality, my Administration has proposed approximately
$239 million in new institutional aid funding for HBCUs
in the Department of Education budget for next year,
including $72 million in new discretionary funding for
HBCUs. In addition, my Administration has proposed
approximately $167 million in new mandatory funding for
HBCUs and to provide 2 years of subsidized tuition and
expand programs in high-demand fields at HBCUs.
I today signed an Executive Order establishing the
White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity,
Opportunity, and Excellence through Historically Black
Colleges and Universities, which will create a
Government-wide approach to support the needs of HBCUs
and the communities they serve and eliminate systemic
barriers impeding HBCU participation in Federal
programs.
This is only the beginning of our work to support HBCUs
and the remarkable students they empower and grow. This
week and every week, we will continue to celebrate and
advance the historic and ongoing success of our HBCUs--
because we know that their success is America's
success.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 September 5
through September 11, 2021, as National Historically
Black Colleges and Universities Week. I call upon
educators, public officials, professional
organizations, corporations, and all Americans to
observe this week with appropriate programs,
ceremonies, and activities that acknowledge the
countless contributions these institutions and their
alumni have made to our country.
[[Page 50435]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
third day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2021-19575
Filed 9-8-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 9, 2021.
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