Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 5.djvu/960

 112 STAT. 3718 PROCLAMATION 7064-JAN. 16, 1998 are less fortunate. Throughout the world, in many lands, too many people still suffer and die for their beliefs, and lives, families, and communities are torn apart by old hatreds and prejudices. We must continue to proclaim the fundamental right of all peoples to believe and worship according to their own conscience, to affirm their beliefs openly and freely, and to practice their faith without fear or intimidation. The priceless gift we have inherited from past generations will only grow in value as we share it with others. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 1998, as Religious Freedom Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs, and I urge all Americans to reaffirm their devotion to the ' fundamental principles of religious freedom and religious tolerance. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety- eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-second. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7064 of January 16, 1998 Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation America has been blessed with heroes throughout our history, men and women of vision and courage who have set our feet firmly on the path of freedom and equality. Some became heroes by leading us in times of struggle; some by shaping our values and challenging us to greatness. And a few, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., have done all this and more. A thoughtful man and one of deep personal faith, his conscience called him into action for the soul of our Nation. He mobilized thousands of other brave and principled Americans—^black and white, renowned and unknown—^and began a crusade for justice that continues today. In sit-ins, marches, demonstrations, and boycotts, he and many others met violence with nonviolence and ignorance with determination. They awakened the conscience of our Nation and succeeded in winning passage of historic civil rights legislation: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Pouring out his life in service. Dr. King made enormous and lasting contributions to improve the lives of millions of his fellow Americans. Almost 35 years have passed since Dr. King challenged us from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to live out the true meaning of our creed—^that all men are created equal—^and almost 30 years have passed since he was taken from us after an all-too-brief sojourn on this earth. A generation of young Americans has come of age without experiencing firsthand the power of his vision or the eloquence of his

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