82 FR 7615 - Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2017

Executive Office of the President

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 12 (January 19, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2017)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 7615-7616]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-01484]



[[Page 7613]]

Vol. 82

Thursday,

No. 12

January 19, 2017

Part XIX





The President





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Proclamation 9568--Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2017



Proclamation 9569--Religious Freedom Day, 2017



Executive Order 13762--Providing an Order of Succession Within the 
Department of Justice



Executive Order 13763--Providing an Order of Succession Within the 
Environmental Protection Agency



Memorandum of January 13, 2017--Continuing To Expand Opportunity for 
All Young People



Memorandum of January 13, 2017--Designation of Officers or Employees of 
the Office of Science and Technology Policy To Act as Director



Memorandum of January 13, 2017--Providing an Order of Succession Within 
the Council on Environmental Quality



Memorandum of January 13, 2017--Providing an Order of Succession Within 
the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service


                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 82 , No. 12 / Thursday, January 19, 2017 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 7615]]

                Proclamation 9568 of January 13, 2017

                
Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2017

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                When the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., shared 
                his dream with the world atop the steps of the Lincoln 
                Memorial, he gave mighty voice to our founding ideals. 
                Few could have imagined that nearly half a century 
                later, his iconic profile would forever be memorialized 
                in stone, standing tall and gazing outward, not far 
                from where he stirred our collective conscience to 
                action. In summoning a generation to recognize the 
                universal threat of injustice anywhere, Dr. King's 
                example has proven that those who love their country 
                can change it.

                A foot soldier for justice and a giant of the Civil 
                Rights Movement, Dr. King lifted the quiet hopes of our 
                Nation with the powers of his voice and pen. Whether 
                behind his pulpit in Montgomery, at a podium on the 
                National Mall, or from his jail cell in Birmingham, he 
                beckoned us toward justice through non-violent 
                resistance and oratory skill. Dr. King fought not 
                merely for the absence of oppression but for the 
                presence of opportunity. His soaring rhetoric impelled 
                others to take up his cause, and with struggle and 
                discipline, persistence and faith, those who joined him 
                on his journey began to march. America was watching, 
                and so they kept marching; America was listening, and 
                so they kept sounding the call for justice. Because 
                they kept moving forward with unwavering resistance, 
                they changed not only laws but also hearts and minds. 
                And as change rippled across the land, it began to 
                strengthen over time, building on the progress realized 
                on buses, in schools, and at lunch counters so that 
                eventually, it would reverberate in the halls of 
                government and be felt in the lives of people across 
                our country.

                Those who dismiss the magnitude of the progress that 
                has been made dishonor the courage of all who marched 
                and struggled to bring about this change--and those who 
                suggest that the great task of extending our Nation's 
                promise to every individual is somehow complete neglect 
                the sacrifices that made it possible. Dr. King taught 
                us that ``The ultimate measure of a man is not where he 
                stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where 
                he stands at times of challenge and controversy.'' 
                Although we do not face the same challenges that 
                spurred the Civil Rights Movement, the fierce urgency 
                of now--and the need for persistence, determination, 
                and constant vigilance--is still required for us to 
                meet the complex demands and defeat the injustices of 
                our time. With the same iron will and hope in our 
                hearts, it is our duty to secure economic opportunity, 
                access to education, and equal treatment under the law 
                for all. The arc of the moral universe may bend toward 
                justice, but it only bends because of the strength and 
                sacrifice of those who reject complacency and drive us 
                forward.

                As we reflect on Dr. King's legacy, we celebrate a man 
                and a movement that transformed our country, and we 
                remember that our freedom is inextricably bound to the 
                freedom of others. Given the causes he championed--from 
                civil rights and international peace to job creation 
                and economic justice--it is right that today we honor 
                his work by serving others. Now more than ever, we must 
                heed his teachings by embracing our convictions. We 
                must live our values, strive for righteousness, and 
                bring goodness to

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                others. And at a time when our politics are so sharply 
                polarized and people are losing faith in our 
                institutions, we must meet his call to stand in another 
                person's shoes and see through their eyes. We must work 
                to understand the pain of others, and we must assume 
                the best in each other. Dr. King's life reminds us that 
                unconditional love will have the final word--and that 
                only love can drive out hate.

                Only by drawing on the lessons of our past can we 
                ensure the flame of justice continues to shine. By 
                standing up for what we know to be right and speaking 
                uncomfortable truths, we can align our reality closer 
                with the ideal enshrined in our founding documents that 
                all people are created equal. In remembering Dr. King, 
                we also remember that change has always relied on the 
                willingness of our people to keep marching forward. If 
                we do, there is no mountaintop or promised land we 
                cannot reach.

                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 16, 2017, as 
                the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I 
                encourage all Americans to observe this day with 
                appropriate civic, community, and service projects in 
                honor of Dr. King and to visit www.MLKDay.gov to find 
                Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service projects across 
                our country.

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

[FR Doc. 2017-01484
Filed 1-18-17; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F7-P