Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C. issued the following:

PROCLAMATION

MACEDONIAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE DAY

August 2, 2021

WHEREAS, today the United Macedonian Diaspora and the Macedonian-American community commemorate the Ilinden uprising of 1903, a revolt in pursuit of a free, independent, and sovereign Macedonia; and

WHEREAS, Macedonian independence was initially short-lived, the Ilinden uprising significantly resulted in the formation of the first democratic republic in southeastern Europe and laid the foundation for liberation and independence in 1991; and

WHEREAS, Macedonia’s historic struggle for self-determination, parallels the present-day fight for statehood in the District which resonates with the Macedonian-American community in DC who stand with us in solidarity; and

WHEREAS, Washington, DC is proud to celebrate the cultural traditions, ancestry, food, languages, history, and the tremendous sacrifices of the Macedonian community, we can also learn from their forefathers’ uncompromising concepts of freedom, independence and equality, that fundamentally changed the course of Macedonian history and fortified a people to leave a valiant legacy in their homeland and around the world:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, the MAYOR OF WASHINGTON, DC, do hereby proclaim August 2, 2021, in Washington, DC, as “MACEDONIAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE DAY.”