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 Proclamations Proc. 7277 Proclamation 7277 of February 29, 2000 Women's History Month, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Last spring, three women astronauts paused during a shutrio mission to pay homage to the past. Thousands of miles into space, floating above the floor of the shuttle, they raised a women's suffrage banner and posed for a pic- ture. Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, a participant in this special tribute and a member of the President's Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History, said, "We wanted to show how far women have come in this century and to honor the people who fought for our rights." Each year during the month of March, citizens across our country pause to honor the many heroes whose diligence and determination have helped to forgo our Nation and enable people like Ellen Ochoa and her colleagues to soar so high. Women's History Month is about highlighting the extraordinary achieve- ments of women throughout our history, while recognizing the equally sig- nificant obstacles they had to overcome along the road to success. It is about the women who bravely donned uniforms and fought for our coun- try. It is about the passion and vision of women educators like Mary McLeod t\177ethune, who, with only $1.50 in her pocket, founded a school for young black women. It is about the perseverance and pioneering spirit of women like Margaret Chung, the first Chinese American woman physician, who supported herself through medical school by washing dishes and lec- turing on China. It is about Alice Paul's fight for the vote and Elizabeth Wanamaker Peratrovich's campaign to end discrimination against Alaska Natives. It is about the writings of Zora Neale Hurston, the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe, the leadership of labor organizer Dolores Huerta, and the trailblazing artistry of photographer Margaret Bourke-White. It is also about the millions of unsung women whose contributions have made life better for their families and their communities. Inspired by the courageous pioneers who came before them, women today continue to shape our Nation's destiny. Last year, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Collins became the first woman commander of a space shut- tle mission. American violinists Sarah Chang, Pamela Frank, and Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg were the first women to take home the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize in its 25-year history. And, in a game attended by the largest crowd of all time for a women's sporting event, the U.S. women's soccer team captured the World Cup. Today, 58 women hold seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and 9 women are United States Senators. More women hold high-level positions in my Administration than in any other in history. And in the private sector, women own nearly 9 million small businesses, employing millions of Americans and contributing sig- nificantly to the strength of our economy. As we honor the past and celebrate the present, we must also focus on the future. Our choices today will have an enormous impact on the destiny of our daughters and granddaughters, our sons and grandsons. We must re- dedicate ourselves to forging a society in which gender no longer predeter- mines a person's opportunities or station in life. We must shatter the glass 39

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