Presidential Documents

3841 

Federal Register 

Vol. 75, No. 14 

Friday, January 22, 2010 

Title 3— 

The President 

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. 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. 


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3842 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 14 / Friday, January 22, 2010 / Presidential Documents 

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. 

[FR Doc. 2010–1368 

Filed 1–21–10; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3195–W0–P 


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