Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 124.djvu/4676

 124 STAT. 4650 PROCLAMATION 8535—JUNE 11, 2010 stitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 11, 2010, as King Kamehameha Day. I call upon all Americans to cele- brate the rich heritage of Hawaii with appropriate ceremonies and ac- tivities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independ- ence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty- fourth. BARACK OBAMA Proclamation 8535 of June 11, 2010 Flag Day and National Flag Week, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation When the Second Continental Congress adopted the American flag on June 14, 1777, the thirteen stripes alternating red and white, and thir- teen white stars in a blue field, represented ‘‘a new constellation.’’ On Flag Day, and throughout National Flag Week, we celebrate its lasting luminosity, and the enduring American story that it represents. Although the configuration of stars and stripes has changed over the years it has been flown, its significance and symbolism have not wavered. The flag that once helped unite a new Nation to confront tyr- anny and oppression still flies today as an unequivocal emblem of free- dom and liberty. The same flag that has been raised on beaches and battlefields still adorns the uniforms of our heroic sons and daughters serving in America’s Armed Forces, including our troops serving in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan. This past year, that same flag has continued to soar. When our Amer- ican Olympic and Paralympics athletes were positioned triumphantly on the podiums of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Win- ter Games, our majestic flag flew high above them. From homes to classrooms, civic gatherings to private memorials, we gathered to salute our flag, and in doing so, renewed the eternal promise of this glorious Nation. More than 220 years after Old Glory was first embraced by our Found- ers, the Stars and Stripes remain the symbol of our Nation’s pride. On Flag Day and during National Flag Week we recognize the American flag as a symbol of hope and inspiration to people at home and around the world—as a constellation which grows brighter with every achieve- ment earned and sacrifice borne by one of our citizens. To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint reso- lution approved August 3, 1949, as amended (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of each year as ‘‘Flag Day’’ and requested that the President issue an annual proclamation calling for its observance and for the dis- play of the flag of the United States on all Federal Government build- ings. The Congress also requested, by joint resolution approved June 9, 1966, as amended (80 Stat. 194), that the President annually issue a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as ‘‘Na-