The
White House
Office
of the Press Secretary
For
Immediate Release
March
02, 2010
Presidential Proclamation - Women's History Month
A PROCLAMATION
Countless women have steered the course of our history, and
their stories are ones of steadfast determination. From reaching for the ballot
box to breaking barriers on athletic fields and battlefields, American women
have stood resolute in the face of adversity and overcome obstacles to realize
their full measure of success. Women's History Month is an opportunity for us
to recognize the contributions women have made to our Nation, and to honor
those who blazed trails for women's empowerment and equality.
Women from all walks of life have improved their communities and
our Nation. Sylvia Mendez and her family stood up for her right to an education
and catalyzed the desegregation of our schools. Starting as a caseworker in
city government, Dr. Dorothy Height has dedicated her life to building a more
just society. One of our young heroes, Caroline Moore, contributed to advances
in astronomy by discovering a supernova at age 14.
When women like these reach their potential, our country as a
whole prospers. That is the duty of our Government -- not to guarantee success,
but to ensure all Americans can achieve it. My Administration is working to
fulfill this promise with initiatives like the White House Council on Women and
Girls, which promotes the importance of taking women and girls into account in
Federal policies and programs. This council is committed to ensuring our
Government does all it can to give our daughters the chance to achieve their
dreams.
As we move forward, we must correct persisting inequalities.
Women comprise over 50 percent of our population but hold fewer than 17 percent
of our congressional seats. More than half our college students are female, yet
when they graduate, their male classmates still receive higher pay on average
for the same work. Women also hold disproportionately fewer science and
engineering jobs. That is why my Administration launched our Educate to
Innovate campaign, which will inspire young people from all backgrounds to
drive America to the forefront of science, technology, engineering, and math.
By increasing women's participation in these fields, we will foster a new
generation of innovators to follow in the footsteps of the three American women
selected as 2009 Nobel Laureates.
Our Nation's commitment to women's rights must not end at our
own borders, and my Administration is making global women's empowerment a core
pillar of our foreign policy. My Administration created the first Office for
Global Women's Issues and appointed an Ambassador at Large to head it. We are working
with the United Nations and other international institutions to support women's
equality and to curtail violence against women and girls, especially in
situations of war and conflict. We are partnering internationally to improve
women's welfare through targeted investments in agriculture, nutrition, and
health, as well as programs that empower women to contribute to economic and
social progress in their communities. And we are following through on the
commitments I made in Cairo to promote access to education, improve literacy,
and expand employment opportunities for women and girls.
This month, let us carry forth the legacy of our mothers and
grandmothers. As we honor the women who have shaped our Nation, we must
remember that we are tasked with writing the next chapter of women's history.
Only if we teach our daughters that no obstacle is too great for them, that no
ceiling can block their ascent, will we inspire them to reach for their highest
aspirations and achieve true equality.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 March 2010 as Women's History
Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe this month with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments,
and contributions of American women.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day
of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
Tammy Montgomery
Program Coordinator, JSPAC
GCCCD Auxiliary
8800 Grossmont College Dr.
El Cajon, CA 92020
phone (619) 644-7713
fax (619) 644-7937
http://www.jspac.org <http://www.jspac.org/>

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