Presidential Documents

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

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11856 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 42 / Wednesday, March 4, 2015 / Presidential Documents 

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. 

[FR Doc. 2015–04518 

Filed 3–3–15; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3295–F5 


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