Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 22 / Wednesday, February 3, 2016 / Presidential Documents 5877 

Proclamation 9392 of January 29, 2016 

National African American History Month, 2016 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

America’s greatness is a testament to generations of courageous individuals 

who, in the face of uncomfortable truths, accepted that the work of perfecting 

our Nation is unending and strived to expand the reach of freedom to 

all. For too long, our most basic liberties had been denied to African Americans, and today, we pay tribute to countless good-hearted citizens—along 

the Underground Railroad, aboard a bus in Alabama, and all across our 

country—who stood up and sat in to help right the wrongs of our past 

and extend the promise of America to all our people. During National 

African American History Month, we recognize these champions of justice 

and the sacrifices they made to bring us to this point, we honor the contributions of African Americans since our country’s beginning, and we recommit 

to reaching for a day when no person is judged by anything but the content 

of their character. 

From the Revolutionary War through the abolitionist movement, to marches 

from Selma to Montgomery and across America today, African Americans 

have remained devoted to the proposition that all of us are created equal, 

even when their own rights were denied. As we rejoice in the victories 

won by men and women who believed in the idea of a just and fair 

America, we remember that, throughout history, our success has been driven 

by bold individuals who were willing to speak out and change the status 

quo. 

Refusing to accept our Nation’s original sin, African Americans bound by 

the chains of slavery broke free and headed North, and many others who 

knew slavery was antithetical to our country’s conception of human rights 

and dignity fought to bring their moral imagination to life. When Jim Crow 

mocked the advances made by the 13th Amendment, a new generation 

of men and women galvanized and organized with the same force of faith 

as their enslaved ancestors. Our Nation’s young people still echo the call 

for equality, bringing attention to disparities that continue to plague our 

society in ways that mirror the non-violent tactics of the civil rights movement while adapting to modern times. Let us also not forget those who 

made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could make our voices heard by 

exercising our right to vote. Even in the face of legal challenges, every 

eligible voter should not take for granted what is our right to shape our 

democracy. 

We have made great progress on the journey toward ensuring our ideals 

ring true for all people. Today, African American high school graduation 

and college enrollment rates are at an all-time high. The African-American 

unemployment rate has been halved since its Great Recession peak. More 

than 2 million African Americans gained health insurance thanks to the 

Affordable Care Act. The incarceration rates for African-American men and 

women fell during each year of this Administration and are at their lowest 

points in over two decades. Yet challenges persist and obstacles still stand 

in the way of becoming the country envisioned at our founding, and we 

would do a disservice to all who came before us if we remained blind 

to the way past injustices shape the present. The United States is home 

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5878 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 22 / Wednesday, February 3, 2016 / Presidential Documents 

to 5 percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of the world’s prisoners—a disproportionate number of whom are African American—so we 

must find ways to reform our criminal justice system and ensure that it 

is fairer and more effective. While we’ve seen unemployment rates decrease, 

many communities, particularly those of color, continue to experience significant gaps in educational and employment opportunities, causing too many 

young men and women to feel like no matter how hard they try, they 

may never achieve their dreams. 

Our responsibility as citizens is to address the inequalities and injustices 

that linger, and we must secure our birthright freedoms for all people. 

As we mark the 40th year of National African American History Month, 

let us reflect on the sacrifices and contributions made by generations of 

African Americans, and let us resolve to continue our march toward a 

day when every person knows the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and 

the pursuit of happiness. 

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 February 2016 as 

National African American History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this 

month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth 

day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of 

the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 

fortieth. 

[FR Doc. 2016–02219 

Filed 2–2–16; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3295–F6–P 


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