123STA T . 3 679PROCL A M AT I O N840 3 — A UG .26 , 2009 ef f orts oft h o u s and sof w o m en ’ sor g an iz ations .A meri c a has made sig - nificant p rogress toward b ecoming the fair and j ust societ y the suffra- gists once en v isioned. Y et , today, our wor k remains unfinished. F ar too many adu l t women remain mired in poverty. W omen are still subject to pervasive discrimi- nation at school and harassing conduct in the workplace. Women make, on average, only 78 cents for every dollar paid to men. U nder- represented in many facets of our economic and public life, from gov- ernment to boardrooms to the sciences, women have yet to eradicate all barriers to professional development. We stand at a moment of unparalleled change and a time for reflection and hope. We cannot allow the vibrant energy and passionate commit- ment of our trailblazing women to fade, and we can never forget the responsibility we bear to the ideals of liberty and e q uality for all. E ach generation of successful women serves as a catalyst to empower, en- lighten, and educate the ne x t generation of girls and boys, and we must devote ourselves to promoting this catalyst for change now and in the future. O n this Women’s Equality D ay, we resolve to continue the important work of our N ation’s foremothers and their successors, and turn their vision of a more equal America into our reality. NOW, TH E R EFORE, I , B ARA CK OBA M A, P resident of the United S tates of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Con- stitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 26 , 2 0 0 9 , as Women’s Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States to celebrate the achievements of women and recommit them- selves to the goal of true gender equality in this country. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our L ord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth. BARACK OBAMA Proclam a ti o n8403 o fAug u s t 26, 200 9DeathofS e n ato rEdw ard M.K enned yBythePr e sid e n t of the U nited S t a tes of Am eri c a A Proc l amation Senator Edward M. Kennedy was not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy. Over the past half-century, nearly every major piece of legislation that has advanced the civil rights, health, and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. With his passing, an important chapter in our American story has come to an end. As a mark of respect for the memory of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States
