Media Alert
June 27, 2022
Taylor Fuqua, Manager of PR & Marketing; tfuqua@VirginiaHistory.org; 804.342.9661
Richmond, VA – In celebration of the 246th anniversary of American Independence, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) is thrilled to be hosting a Citizenship Ceremony on July 4th with more than 50 candidates for citizenship taking the Oath of Allegiance inside Commonwealth Hall, the museum’s brand new, two-story event space.
The naturalization ceremony, held in partnership with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), will be officiated by the Honorable Roger L. Gregory, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m.
The ceremony is free to attend and open to the public without registration. Seating in Commonwealth Hall is limited, but the ceremony will be streamed to an overflow seating area inside the museum and will be available via live stream on the VMHC Facebook and YouTube channels. Admission to the museum will be available at the conclusion of the ceremony and tickets can be purchased through VirginiaHistory.org.
The museum's newest traveling exhibition, American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith, is the perfect complement to the naturalization ceremony on July 4th. This exhibit comes from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and examines the foundation of America’s government and the continuing story of America’s bold experiment in a government “of, by and for the people.” The exhibition features five major themes and comes to life through Smithsonian collection artifacts, contemporary objects, and touchable artifacts. VMHC will also be displaying artifacts in this exhibit, such as a clothing button celebrating George Washington’s inauguration in 1789, a Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage banner (1915), and Edmund Pendleton‘s record of the Virginia ratification of the U.S. Constitution, from June 28, 1788.
More information on the American Democracy exhibit can be found here.
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is the only institution dedicated to presenting the entire history of Virginia over time and across regions. Its nationally significant collection of more than 9 million objects, renowned research library, galleries and public programs demonstrate the centrality of Virginia to the narrative of the United States.
The VMHC is owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society — a private, non-profit organization established in 1831. The historical society is the oldest cultural organization in Virginia and one of the oldest and most distinguished history organizations in the nation.