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
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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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