PROCLAMATION 7277—FEB. 29, 2000 114 STAT. 3265 regularly, we can save thousands of lives each year and dramatically reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. 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 March 2000 as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. I encourage health care providers, advocacy groups, policymakers, and concerned citizens across the country to help raise public awareness of the risks and methods of prevention of colorectal cancer and to use the power of our knowledge to defeat this silent disease. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty- ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7277 of Febniairy 29, 2000 Women's History Month, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Last spring, three women astronauts paused dxmng a shuttle mission to pay homage to the past. Thousands of miles into space, floating above the floor of the shuttle, they raised a women's suffrage banner and posed for a picture. Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, a participant in this special tribute and a member of the President's Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History, said, "We wanted to show how far women have come in this century and to honor the people who fought for our rights." Each year during the month of March, citizens across our country pause to honor the many heroes whose diligence and determination have helped to forge our Nation and enable people like Ellen Ochoa and her colleagues to soar so high. Women's History Month is about highlighting the extraordinary achievements of women throughout our history, while recognizing the equally significant obstacles they had to overcome along the road to success. It is about the women who bravely donned uniforms and fought for our country. It is about the passion and vision of women educators like Mary McLeod Bethune, who, with only $1.50 in her pocket, founded a school for young black women. It is about the perseverance and pioneering spirit of women like Margaret Chung, the first Chinese American woman physician, who supported herself through medical school by washing dishes and lecturing on China. It is about Alice Paul's fight for the vote and Elizabeth Wanamaker Peratrovich's campaign to end discrimination against Alaska Natives. It is about the writings of Zora Neale Hurston, the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe, the leadership of labor organizer Dolores Huerta, and the trailblazing artistry of photographer Margaret Bourke-White. It is also about the millions of unsung women whose contributions have made life better for their families and their communities.
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