WHITE HOUSE VIDEO MESSAGE: Celebrating Thanksgiving Day

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, THURSDAY, November 27, 2014

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Celebrating Thanksgiving Day

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, Cecilia Muñoz the White House Director of the Domestic Policy Council wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and reflected on the history of our country and its diversity. She gave thanks for the many Americans who sacrifice every day, from volunteer workers who serve their communities, to men and women in uniform who serve us all.   On Thanksgiving, a holiday that is uniquely American, she reminded us to focus on what unites us – our commitment to American ideals like justice and equality and our gratitude and love for our country.

The audio of the address and video of the message will be available online HERE.

Remarks of Cecilia Muñoz

Spanish Weekly Address

The White House

November 27, 2014

Hello, I am Cecilia Muñoz. On behalf of the White House – I want to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. Like many of you, we’ll spend the day with family and friends, eating some good food and catching up on our lives. Before we lift a fork, we lend a hand by going out into the community to serve some of our neighbors in need. And we give thanks for each other, and for all of God’s blessings.

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays because, more than any other, it is uniquely American. Each of us brings our own traditions and cultures and recipes to the table – but we all share this day, united by our gratitude for the bounty of this nation. And we welcome the contributions of all people – no matter their origin or color or beliefs – who call America home, and who enrich the life of our nation. It is a creed as old as our founding: “E pluribus unum” – that out of many, we are one.

We are reminded that this creed, and America itself, was never an inevitability, but the result of ordinary people in every generation doing their part to uphold our founding ideals – by taking the blessings of freedom, and multiplying them for those who would follow.

Today, we are grateful to all Americans who do their part to live by those ideals, including our brave men and women in uniform overseas and their families, who sacrifice so much to keep America safe. To our service members who are away from home, we say an extra prayer for you and your loved ones, and we renew our commitment to take care of you as well as you’ve taken care of us.

We are grateful to the countless Americans who serve their communities in soup kitchens and shelters, looking out for those who are less fortunate, and lifting up those who have fallen on hard times.

It’s easy to focus on what separates us. But as we gather with loved ones on this Thanksgiving, let’s remember and be grateful for what binds us. Our love of country. Our commitment to justice and equality. Our belief that America’s best days are ahead, that her destiny is ours to shape – and that our inherited ideals must be the birthright of all our children.

That’s what today is about: that out of many, we are one. Thank you, God bless you, and from the President and my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

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