Media Alert
January 10, 2024
Taylor Fuqua, Manager of PR & Marketing; tfuqua@VirginiaHistory.org; 804.342.9661

Richmond, VA – As part of its multi-year initiative to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, The Virginia Museum of History & Culture will host Dr. Richard Haass, renowned diplomat and respected scholar of international relations, on January 17, 2024.

During this Marshall Scholar Series event, Dr. Haass will discuss his most recent book, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens. This bold call for change details how we must re-envision citizenship if American democracy is to survive and emphasizes the importance of citizens having a sense of shared responsibility in helping to create a more just and equitable society.

Haass argues that rights alone cannot provide the basis for a functioning, much less flourishing, democracy, and that the cure lies in placing obligations on the same footing as rights. His expert blend of civics, history, and political analysis illuminates how Americans can rediscover and recover the attitudes and behaviors that have contributed so much to this country’s success over the centuries.

In addition to being an experienced diplomat and policymaker who has served in the Pentagon, State Department, and White House under four presidents, Dr. Haass is the author and editor of fourteen books on American foreign policy, one book on management, and one on American democracy. His latest book, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, was published by Penguin Press in January 2023 and became a New York Times bestseller.

The VMHC launched its 250th Initiative on July 4, 2023. As part of this far-reaching effort, the VMHC will debut two major exhibitions, publish new works, host regular public programs and events, and deploy new civics education programming for students across the Commonwealth through the work of its new signature study center, The John Marshall Center for Constitutional History & Civics.

To purchase tickets for this event, please visit VirginiaHistory.org/Events. For more information about VMHC’s commitment to America’s 250th, please visit VirginisHistory.org/250.

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.