Presidential Document2023-21637
National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, 2023
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 28, 2023
Signed
September 22, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 187 (Thursday, September 28, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 187 (Thursday, September 28, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 67045-67047]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21637]
[[Page 67043]]
Vol. 88
Thursday,
No. 187
September 28, 2023
Part III
The President
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Proclamation 10628--National Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Week, 2023
Proclamation 10629--Asian American and Native American Pacific
Islander-Serving Institutions Week, 2023
Proclamation 10630--National Hunting and Fishing Day, 2023
Proclamation 10631--National Public Lands Day, 2023
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 187 / Thursday, September 28, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 67045]]
Proclamation 10628 of September 22, 2023
National Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Week, 2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Our Nation's Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs) are rooted in a fundamental tenet
of our democracy: A quality education is a right that
belongs to all people, and every single American should
be free to pursue the limits of their talent and
ambition. During National Historically Black Colleges
and Universities Week, we recommit to supporting and
investing in HBCUs so they can continue the essential
work of educating and empowering students who enrich
the soul of our Nation.
Throughout their history, HBCUs have instilled in their
students a sense of culture and purpose and a
commitment to making a difference in the lives of all
Americans. They are centers of academic excellence,
producing 40 percent of all Black engineers in America,
50 percent of all Black lawyers in America, 70 percent
of all Black doctors and dentists in America, and 80
percent of all Black judges in America. They are
incubators of scholars and educators; advocates and
athletes; and leaders in every sector of our society,
including industry, public interest firms, faith,
medicine, and the arts and sciences. They have molded
trailblazers, visionaries, and public servants, who
have helped make our democracy more inclusive and
equitable. I see the excellence of HBCUs manifested
every day in my Administration by HBCU alumni who are
gifted members of my cabinet--like Vice President
Kamala Harris and Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency Michael Regan--and in staff serving
at all levels of my Administration.
Despite the wealth of their contributions to our
society, HBCUs often do not have the same endowments
and financial resources as other colleges and
universities. That is not only unfair--it undermines
the full potential of our Nation. It means leading
institutions are often unable to build and fund
research labs, which can lead to the new technologies
and innovations that define American excellence. That
is why, with the help of Vice President Harris, my
Administration has delivered more than $7 billion to
HBCUs--including to prepare students to contribute to
the future in high-demand and high-income fields, like
cybersecurity, engineering, biochemistry, and health
care. I have also re-established the White House
Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence,
and Economic Opportunity for HBCUs to increase their
participation in Federal programs that offer greater
access to funding, ensuring HBCUs can continue to be
engines of opportunity in the future.
While talent, creativity, and the willingness to work
hard are everywhere in this country, equal opportunity
is not. To make sure every American has the opportunity
to pursue higher education, my Administration has
increased the maximum Pell Grant by $900--the largest
increase in the last decade--and my new budget will put
us on a path to double the maximum award by 2029.
Further, in response to my budget, the Congress
established a program to provide direct support to
academic institutions by creating and sustaining
evidence-based strategies that support students through
college re-enrollment, retention, and completion.
[[Page 67046]]
There is still so much to do to make higher education
more accessible and affordable. Last year, I announced
a student debt relief plan, and we were on the verge of
providing thousands of dollars in relief to more than
40 million Americans. Then the Supreme Court ruled
against it, derailing an opportunity that would have
changed so many lives for the better. Though that
decision closed one door, I responded immediately by
announcing that my Administration is pursuing an
alternative path for debt relief, and that we finalized
the Saving on a Valuable Education Program (SAVE)--the
most affordable student loan repayment program ever
created.
This program calculates loan payments based on a
student's income and family size, not on the size of
the loan. Under this plan, some students' monthly
payments will drop to zero, and others will save around
$1,000 a year. Borrowers who pay what they owe on this
plan will no longer see their loans grow due to unpaid
interest, and the program will get some borrowers to
forgiveness faster. I will never stop fighting to
create the student debt relief Americans need to help
restore their faith in the American Dream. With the
Supreme Court's decision to effectively end affirmative
action, my Administration will continue fighting to put
quality education within reach of everyone and fulfill
the promise of America for all Americans. Lastly, my
Administration is aware that there have been threats by
domestic extremists who may seek to spread fear on HBCU
campuses. We are committed to protecting any and all
Americans who find themselves on the frontline of
domestic extremist threats or violence.
More than five decades ago, in response to an act of
racist terror, a young Morehouse student named Martin
Luther King, Jr. wrote a letter to the Atlanta
Constitution saying, ``We want and are entitled to the
basic rights and opportunities of American citizens.''
In those words, we see just one example of the sacred
and proud tradition of HBCUs: opening the doors of
opportunity wider for students, helping them find the
power in their voice, and giving them the tools to make
true change in our world. Today, we recommit to
supporting HBCUs that, in raising the next generation
of dreamers and doers, bring more equity, prosperity,
and opportunity for our Nation.
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 24
through September 30, 2023, as National Historically
Black Colleges and Universities Week. I call upon
educators, students, 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 67047]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-second day of September, 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-
eighth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-21637
Filed 9-27-23; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 28, 2023.
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