Alabama Court Reporting and Captioning Week

Proclamation

By the Governor of Alabama

WHEREAS, for millennia, individuals have wanted the spoken word translated into text to record history, and to accomplish this task they have relied on scribes; and

WHEREAS, scribes were present with our Nation’s founding fathers as the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights were drafted; and

WHEREAS, President Lincoln entrusted scribes to record the Emancipation Proclamation; and

WHEREAS, since the advent of shorthand machines, these scribes have been known as court reporters and have played a permanent and invaluable role in courtrooms across our country; and

WHEREAS, court reporters are present in the United States Congress preserving members’ words and actions; and

WHEREAS, court reporters and captioners are responsible for the closed captioning seen scrolling across television screens, at sporting stadiums and in other community and educational settings, bringing information to millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans every day; and

WHEREAS, court reporters and captioners translate the spoken word into text and preserve our history; and

WHEREAS, whether called the scribes of yesterday or the court reporters and captioners of today, the individuals who preserve our nation’s history are truly the guardians of the record:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim week of February 11th, through February 18th, 2017, as

Alabama Court Reporting and Captioning Week

in the State of Alabama.

Given Under My Hand and the Great Seal of the Office of the Governor at the State Capitol in the City of Montgomery on the 11th day of February 2017.

Robert Bentley

Governor