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[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 5, 2018)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 26201-26202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12260]



                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 83 , No. 108 / Tuesday, June 5, 2018 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 26201]]

                Proclamation 9763 of June 1, 2018

                
African-American Music Appreciation Month, 2018

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                During African-American Music Appreciation Month, we 
                celebrate the tremendous achievements and contributions 
                of African-American musicians. The musical ingenuity of 
                talented African American artists laid the foundation 
                for so many recognizable and cherished genres of music, 
                including rock and roll, rhythm and blues, jazz, 
                gospel, hip hop, and rap.

                Throughout our history, African-American music has 
                demonstrated its power to elicit comfort, healing, 
                happiness, conviction, and inspiration--as well as its 
                ability to unite people of all backgrounds. Today, it 
                resonates in jazz quartets, rock and roll guitar solos, 
                gospel choirs, and hip hop beats. The expression of 
                these artistic and diverse styles of music acts as a 
                voice for freedom, justice, love, and the pursuit of 
                happiness.

                African-American music has played a significant role in 
                shaping the American dream and instilling a sense of 
                pride in being an ``American.'' The talent and 
                creativity of pioneers like Miles Davis, Duke 
                Ellington, Nat King Cole, Etta James, Whitney Houston, 
                and many others have indelibly enriched our culture and 
                our lives. As Etta James noted, ``I wanna show that 
                gospel, country, blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, rock 
                `n' roll are all just really one thing. Those are the 
                American music and that is the American culture.'' Etta 
                James recognized that the history and evolution of 
                music in America reflects our country's cultural 
                uniqueness and our country's commitment to protect and 
                love every voice.

                African-American music brings together people of all 
                backgrounds--people who hum it, whistle it, and sing 
                it--to enjoy blended tunes and hard-to-hit notes. Its 
                contagious rhythm empowers its listeners to recall 
                memories of the past and grow excited for the future. 
                Our Nation is indebted to all the African-American 
                artists whose music fills our airways and our homes, 
                lifts our spirits, and compels us to think, dance, and 
                sing. These musicians and their legacies ignite our 
                imaginations and prove to us that the sky is the limit.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 June 2018 as African-
                American Music Appreciation Month. I call upon public 
                officials, educators, and all the people of the United 
                States to observe this month with appropriate 
                activities and programs that raise awareness and 
                appreciation of African-American music.

[[Page 26202]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and forty-second.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2018-12260
Filed 6-4-18; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P
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