Presidential Document2023-01095
Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2023
Primary source
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Published
January 19, 2023
Signed
January 13, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 3283-3284]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01095]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 12 / Thursday, January 19, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 3283]]
Proclamation 10513 of January 13, 2023
Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Today, we honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., by continuing his unfinished work to redeem the
soul of America.
Dr. King came of age in the South during a time when
racial discrimination was the law of the land. Black
Americans risked jail time for accessing public
accommodations like drinking fountains, parks,
restrooms, restaurants, and hotels. Their voting rights
were denied by complicated, onerous, and discriminatory
rules. Even if they attempted to register to vote, they
could be fired from their jobs, be run off of their
farms, or face vigilante violence.
Dr. King imagined a different future for America--an
America he called the ``Beloved Community.'' Building
the Beloved Community required a key shift in human
understanding. It meant looking beyond external
differences to see the union of all humankind. It also
meant finding a way to deal with our grievances without
animosity, in a way that recognized the
interconnectedness of all humanity and allowed us to
move forward together.
From the pulpit to the podium to the streets, Dr. King
devoted his life to the quest for this Beloved
Community in our Nation. His activism and moral
authority helped usher in the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He gave a voice to
the restless spirit of millions yearning for change. He
gave us a roadmap to unify, to heal, and to sustain the
blessings of the Nation to all of its people.
But the work continues because it remains unfinished.
That is why my Administration has called on the
Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights
Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act to ensure
that every citizen has a voice in deciding our future.
In keeping with Dr. King's campaign for economic
justice and the rights of workers, my Administration is
striving to make the American Dream a reality for every
family. By creating good-paying jobs, investing in the
middle class, improving access to affordable housing
and quality education, and closing the racial and
gender wealth gaps, we can give hardworking families
the dignity Dr. King would say they deserve.
Dr. King called for greater fairness in our health care
system, and my Administration is pushing to put
quality, affordable health care within reach of all
people--especially the most vulnerable and marginalized
Americans. By lowering costs and improving access, we
can make health care a right and not just a privilege.
Dr. King preached that ``darkness cannot drive out
darkness, only light can do that.'' In his memory, we
strive to challenge violence and bigotry with grace and
goodness. We work to embed equity and opportunity into
all of the Federal Government's policies and programs.
And we serve to bring together a Nation in our
dedication to these ideals.
This Sunday, I will pay my respects and express my
gratitude for his life and legacy by speaking at
services at his cherished Ebenezer Baptist Church. On
this day of commemoration, service, and action, let us
hold
[[Page 3284]]
up a mirror to America and ask ourselves: What kind of
country do we want to be? Will we honor Dr. King's
legacy by rising together--buttressed by each other's
successes, enriched by each other's differences, and
made whole by each other's compassion? I believe we
can. It will require constant care for our democracy,
stubborn faith in this great experiment, and a
commitment to stamping out discrimination in all forms.
It will demand honest reflection about how far we have
come and how far we have yet to go to be the best
version of ourselves. But like Dr. King, I know that
there is nothing beyond this Nation's capacity and that
we will fulfill the promise of America for all
Americans--perfecting the Union we love and must
protect.
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 Monday,
January 16, 2023, as the Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe
this day with appropriate civic, community, and service
projects in honor of Dr. King and to visit <a href="http://MLKDay.gov">MLKDay.gov</a>
to find Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service
projects across our country.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
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(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-01095
Filed 1-18-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 19, 2023.
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