Seek a Proclamation

A proclamation is a ceremonial document issued by government officials that serves, in part, to officially highlight the importance of an event. Anyone may request a proclamation for Free Speech Week by their Mayor or Governor.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Start early. It will take a few weeks – at least – to receive the proclamation.
• Find out where to make your request. Online is a good place to begin. Try searching for ‘Office of the Mayor of (your city)’ or ‘Office of the Governor of (your state).’ If instructions on obtaining a proclamation are not readily apparent on their website – many will have information right on their home page – try searching their site for “Request a Proclamation.”
• Follow their instructions. Each office has slightly different ways to go about making an official request.
• Refer to the sample Free Speech Week proclamation request letter and sample proclamation language on our website. The sample proclamation request letter that can be edited to fit your needs can be found here. In addition, it is helpful, and often necessary, to include sample proclamation language in your request as well. That can be found here.
• Invite them. If you have an event in mind where you would like the Proclamation officially presented, go ahead and invite the Governor or Mayor to do so. If they cannot due to scheduling conflicts, it’s possible someone from their office might be able to in their place.
• Follow up. Call or e-mail per their website’s instructions to answer any questions they might have. Make sure you have specified if you will be picking up the proclamation or if it should be mailed to you, and where.