[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 11855-11856]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-04518]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 42 / Wednesday, March 4, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 11855]]


                Proclamation 9240 of February 27, 2015

                
Read Across America Day, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                As a Nation, one of our greatest responsibilities is to 
                ensure every American child can experience the 
                transformative power of reading. Literacy is the 
                gateway to all other learning, and it is the most basic 
                building block of opportunity in an economy 
                increasingly built on knowledge and innovation. On Read 
                Across America Day, we celebrate the ways literacy has 
                enhanced our lives and recommit to empowering every 
                student with a strong start and a passion for reading.

                The written word provides a window to a larger world. 
                From prose and poetry, we learn our earliest lessons 
                about tolerance and empathy, and on the pages of great 
                books, children can see for the first time that their 
                potential is limited only by the size of their dreams 
                and the power of their imaginations. Literature 
                captures moral dilemmas that persist across 
                generations, chronicles our greatest achievements as a 
                people, and reminds us of painful chapters in our past 
                so we do not repeat our mistakes. In powerful tales and 
                in the voices of complex characters, we learn eternal 
                truths that illuminate the spirit of America and the 
                intimacy of the human condition.

                Brilliant writers enable us to stand in someone else's 
                shoes and identify with their hopes and struggles--even 
                if they do not look like us or share our beliefs. They 
                transport us to distant times and faraway lands, and 
                today we honor a storyteller who brought these new 
                worlds into classrooms and bedrooms all around the 
                globe. The works of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known 
                to us as Dr. Seuss, have sparked a love for reading in 
                generations of students. His whimsical wordplay and 
                curious characters inspire children to dream big and 
                remind readers of all ages that ``a person's a person 
                no matter how small.''

                Reading is the means by which we discover new ideas and 
                unlock the potential of tomorrow's leaders. As we 
                recognize the importance of literacy, let us resolve to 
                play a part in developing the next generation of 
                readers and writers. As mentors, friends, and caring 
                adults, we can raise our voices to support the 
                resources our students need in classrooms and 
                libraries, and take time to engage young people in this 
                critical endeavor. Together, we can enrich our souls, 
                strengthen our society, and give every child a chance 
                to succeed.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 March 2, 2015, as 
                Read Across America Day. I call upon children, 
                families, educators, librarians, public officials, and 
                all the people of the United States to observe this day 
                with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

[[Page 11856]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                ninth.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2015-04518
Filed 3-3-15; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F5