Commonwealth of Massachusetts
A Proclamation
His Excellency Governor Deval L. Patrick
Whereas The Polish American Congress was established nationally in 1944 to represent the international and domestic concerns of Americans of Polish descent; and
Whereas Throughout history, Polish Americans have made great contributions to our Commonwealth and nation, including Thaddeus Kosciuszko and Casimir Pulaski who used their great military skills to help the colonists win the Revolutionary War; and
Whereas The Polish American Congress was instrumental in lobbying the United States Senate to ratify the Protocols of Accession to the NATO Treaty on April 4, 1998, thereby granting membership to Poland and in 1999, worked with the State Department to encourage the governments of Germany and Austria to compensate Poles who were victims of forced industrial and farm labor during World War II; and
Whereas The Polish American Congress, representing the fifth largest European ethnic group in the United States, stresses the principles of social responsibility, service and civic virtue among all citizens of the United States,
Now, Therefore, I, Deval L. Patrick, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hereby proclaim October 31st, 2012, to be,
POLISH AMERICAN CONGRESS DAY
And urge all the citizens of the Commonwealth to take cognizance of this event and participate fittingly in its observance.
Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston, this twentieth day of October, in the year two thousand and twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America, the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
By His Excellency
Deval L. Patrick
Governor of the Commonwealth
William Francis Galvin
Secretary of the Commonwealth
God Save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts