Proclamation 5869 --
Polish American Heritage Month, 1988
September 28, 1988
By
the President of the United States of
America
A
Proclamation
Immigrants
from nearly every nation on Earth have taken part in the founding, settling,
building, and defending of our land. Prominent among the proud list of our
forebears and fellow citizens are Polish Americans, and we can all be grateful
for the opportunity given each of us by Polish American Heritage Month, 1988,
to recognize their accomplishments.
These
achievements have permeated every aspect of American life. The most special
characteristic of the Polish people, wherever they may be, has always been a
loyal and courageous passion for faith and freedom. Poland's devotion shines so
brightly through the centuries, in years of peace and in times of hardship,
war, and occupation, that it inspires the people of free nations to a deeper
appreciation of their liberty and the people of captive nations to a higher
plane of hope.
Poland has given humanity much
through the genius of such giants as Copernicus, Madame Curie, Henryk Sinkiewicz, Joseph Conrad,
Chopin, and Paderewski. Poland has likewise given America much -- through
patriotism like that of Pulaski, witness like that of John Cardinal Krol, and the innumerable contributions of generations of
Polish immigrants and their descendants. Poland's legacy continues to
bless America and all mankind in
countless ways today, especially through the leadership and example of Pope
John Paul II, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Solidarity Labor Federation leader Lech Walesa, and other lovers of
faith and freedom.
The
American people feel unwavering unity with the Polish people, now more than
ever. Poland's saga must be our own.
The freedom loved and advanced so much through the years by loyal Poles and
Polish Americans is on the march in every continent today, because freedom is a
universal and eternal cause. As we celebrate Polish American Heritage Month,
1988, we celebrate the promise of freedom, the power of faith, and the best in America's history and future.
The
Congress, by Public Law 100 - 385, has designated October 1988 as ``Polish
American Heritage Month'' and authorized and requested the President to issue a
proclamation in observance of this event.
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of
America, do hereby proclaim October 1988 as Polish
American Heritage Month, and I urge all Americans to join their fellow citizens
of Polish descent in observance of this month.
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of
September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of
the Independence of the United States of
America the two hundred and thirteenth.
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register, 12:19 p.m., September 29, 1988]