Proclamation 5208 -- Family Reunion Month, 1984
June 14, 1984
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The family is the cornerstone of American society. As individuals and as a people, we are nurtured by our families from birth until the ends of our lives. Families link past, present, and future generations. Family members share our joys, comfort us, and help us celebrate life's milestones.
In our mobile society, great distances often separate people from their loved ones, making frequent visits difficult or impossible. Consequently, many families hold periodic reunions. At these special times, they come together to renew and refresh their relationships. They share the accomplishments and changes in their lives. They honor those who have passed on, and they celebrate their continuing renewal through new marriages and the birth of new babies.
Unfortunately, thousands of American families experience sorrow each year because of runaway, missing or estranged members. An estimated 700,000 children between the ages of 11 and 18 are runaway or homeless youth. Many organizations have been formed in recent years to help families and missing family members establish contact with each other while respecting the right of individuals to privacy. Nonetheless, this problem is a very serious and heartbreaking one.
This Nation treasures its families and family life. All Americans should encourage families and missing family members to get in touch with each other and, if possible, to solve the problems which brought about their separation. We should encourage missing family members to make direct contact with their families or to use the organizations which offer their support and assistance. We also should encourage families whose ties are weak to seek out the programs which offer counseling and support to keep families together.
The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 94, has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the period between Mother's Day, May 13, 1984, and Father's Day, June 17, 1984, as ``Family Reunion Month.''
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the period between May 13 and June 17, 1984, as Family Reunion Month. I call upon all Americans to celebrate this month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagan
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 1:36 p.m., June 14, 1984]
Proclamation 5209 -- Baltic Freedom Day, 1984
June 14, 1984
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
It has been over 40 years since invading Soviet armies, in collusion with the Nazi regime, overran the three independent Baltic Republics of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and forceably incorporated them into Moscow's expanding empire. The new regime then ordered the illegal deportation, murder, and imprisonment of tens of thousands of Baltic peoples whose only ``crime'' was to resist foreign tyranny and to defend their liberties and freedoms.
Oppression and persecution continue to this day, but despite this long dark night of injustice, the brave men and women of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have never abandoned the battle for their national independence and God-given rights. Although the full measure of their struggle and sacrifice is screened by the oppression and censorship under which they live, the friends and families of the Baltic peoples all over the world are aware of their heroic endeavors and aspirations.
Their peaceful demands for their rights command the admiration of everyone who loves and honors freedom. All the people of the United States of America share the just aspirations of the Baltic nations for national independence, and we uphold their right to determine their own national destiny free of foreign domination. The United States has never recognized the forceable incorporation of the Baltic States into the Soviet Union, and it will not do so in the future. The Congress of the United States, by Senate Joint Resolution 296, has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation for the observance of June 14, 1984, as ``Baltic Freedom Day.''
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 1984, as Baltic Freedom Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate remembrances and ceremonies and to reaffirm their commitment to the principles of liberty and freedom for all oppressed people.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagan
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:35 a.m., June 15, 1984]