Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 103 Part 3.djvu/1023

 PROCLAMATION 6021—SEPT. 14, 1989 103 STAT. 3091 ble achievements in both classical and popular music; and the works of talented Hispanic sculptors and painters—such as Luis Jiminez, Edward Chavez, and Juan Gomez-Quiroz—grace many of our Nation's art gal- leries. Hispanic Americans occupy positions of leadership throughout our system of government, serving as councilmen, mayors, governors, and as members of State legislatures, the Congress, and the Cabinet. Not all of the contributions made by Hispanic Americans to our society are so visible or so widely celebrated, however. Hispanic Americans have enriched our Nation beyond measure with the quiet strength of closely knit families and proud communities. Many have come to the United States in search of the freedom and opportunity denied to them by Marxist-Leninist regimes in their ancestral homelands. Industrious and determined, they have not only reaped the rewards of freedom, but also shared with their children a profound understanding of the rights and responsibilities we have as citizens of a free Nation. Their faith in the promise of America has been exceeded only by their faith in God. The rich ethnic heritage of Hispanic Americans gives us cause to cele- brate because it is a proud and colorful portion of our Nation's herit- age. Hispanic Americans have reaffirmed our belief in the principles of liberty and democratic government, and they have helped to share that vision with our neighbors in Central and South America and the Carib- bean. This month, as we recognize the many achievements of Hispanic Americans, we also recall the universal appeal of the American ideal of freedom and opportunity for all. In recognition of the outstanding achievements of Hispanic Americans, the Congress, by Joint Resolution approved September 17, 1968 (Public Law 90-498), as amended, has authorized and requested the President ' to issue annually a proclamation designating the month beginning Sep- tember 15 and ending October 15 as "National Hispanic Heritage Month." NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month beginning September 15, 1989, and ending October 15, 1989, as National Hispanic Heritage Month. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies and activities, and I lu^e them to reaffirm their devotion to the principles of freedom and individual dig- nity—the common heritage of all Americans. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty- nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and foiu^eenth. GEORGE BUSH

�