Proclamation 5465

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

Americans who have come from Asian and Pacific countries have made notable contributions to our Nation in a wide range of fields, including science, the arts, medicine, law, literature, agriculture, industry, commerce, and government. Through the rich and varied traditions and heritages of their homelands, they have greatly enhanced America's culture and the lives of all Americans.

This Nation fittingly honors its citizens of Asian and Pacific descent. They have brought to our country an industriousness that boosts our economy and a passion for freedom that rejuvenates American ideals. We are grateful to Asian and Pacific Americans for their unwavering support for the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that form the core of the American ethos. Through their bravery and perseverance, they have provided us with a moving testament to the universality of the human thirst for political freedom.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, 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 the week beginning May 4, 1986, as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, and call upon all people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth.

RONALD REAGAN

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:41 p.m., April 22, 1986]