[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 14 (Friday, January 22, 2010)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 3841-3842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1368]



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Part III





The President





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Proclamation 8473--Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2010



Proclamation 8474--Religious Freedom Day, 2010



Notice of January 20, 2010--Continuation of the National Emergency with 
Respect to Terrorists who Threaten to Disrupt the Middle East Peace 
Process


                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 14 / Friday, January 22, 2010 / 
Presidential Documents

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Title 3--
The President

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                Proclamation 8473 of January 15, 2010

                
Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2010

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., challenged 
                our Nation to recognize that our individual liberty 
                relies upon our common equality. In communities marred 
                by division and injustice, the movement he built from 
                the ground up forced open doors to negotiation. The 
                strength of his leadership was matched only by the 
                power of his words, which still call on us to perfect 
                those sacred ideals enshrined in our founding 
                documents.

                ``We have an opportunity to make America a better 
                Nation,'' Dr. King said on the eve of his death. ``I 
                may not get there with you. But I want you to know 
                tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised 
                land.'' Though we have made great strides since the 
                turbulent era of Dr. King's movement, his work and our 
                journey remain unfinished. Only when our children are 
                free to pursue their full measure of success--
                unhindered by the color of their skin, their gender, 
                the faith in their heart, the people they love, or the 
                fortune of their birth--will we have reached our 
                destination.

                Today, we are closer to fulfilling America's promise of 
                economic and social justice because we stand on the 
                shoulders of giants like Dr. King, yet our future 
                progress will depend on how we prepare our next 
                generation of leaders. We must fortify their ladders of 
                opportunity by correcting social injustice, breaking 
                the cycle of poverty in struggling communities, and 
                reinvesting in our schools. Education can unlock a 
                child's potential and remains our strongest weapon 
                against injustice and inequality.

                Recognizing that our Nation has yet to reach Dr. King's 
                promised land is not an admission of defeat, but a call 
                to action. In these challenging times, too many 
                Americans face limited opportunities, but our capacity 
                to support each other remains limitless. Today, let us 
                ask ourselves what Dr. King believed to be life's most 
                urgent and persistent question: ``What are you doing 
                for others?'' Visit www.MLKDay.gov to find Martin 
                Luther King, Jr., Day of Service projects across our 
                country.

                Dr. King devoted his life to serving others, and his 
                message transcends national borders. The devastating 
                earthquake in Haiti, and the urgent need for 
                humanitarian support, reminds us that our service and 
                generosity of spirit must also extend beyond our 
                immediate communities. As our Government continues to 
                bring our resources to bear on the international 
                emergency in Haiti, I ask all Americans who want to 
                contribute to this effort to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake HaitiEarthquake. By lifting up our brothers and sisters 
                through dedication and service--both at home and around 
                the world--we honor Dr. King's memory and reaffirm our 
                common humanity.

                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 January 18, 2010, as 
                the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I 
                encourage all Americans to observe this day with 
                appropriate civic, community, and service programs in 
                honor of Dr. King's life and lasting legacy.

[[Page 3842]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2010-1368
Filed 1-21-10; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W0-P