The governor shall annually issue a proclamation setting apart the week of December eighth through December fifteenth as civil rights week, and recommending that it be observed by the people with appropriate exercises in the schools and otherwise, for the protection and implementation of these four basic rights:—(1) the right to safety and security of person; (2) the right of citizenship and its privileges; (3) the right to freedom of conscience and expression; (4) the right to equality of opportunity; which have been the core of our democratic philosophy of government.
Massachusetts Legal Code