2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 810

Commending the Town of Vienna.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 20, 2025

WHEREAS, in 2024, the Town of Vienna organized a wide range of educational programs on the history of the Commonwealth and the nation to celebrate Liberty Amendments Month; and

WHEREAS, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Nineteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, ratified between 1865 and 1920, provide voting rights and other rights to ensure that every citizen is able to participate in the governance of their state and the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment addressed citizenship rights and equal protection under the law, the Fifteenth Amendment extended the right to vote to all men regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, and the Nineteenth Amendment extended voting rights to women; and

WHEREAS, Mercury Payton, town manager of Vienna, established Liberty Amendments Month in 2021 as an annual commemoration beginning on or around Juneteenth and running through the middle of July; and

WHEREAS, during the inaugural Vienna Liberty Amendments Month, 22,000 people attended more than 65 education and commemorative events, which fostered a sense of mutual respect between community members and a better understanding of how the Liberty Amendments gave all citizens the ability to participate in democratic government; and

WHEREAS, Vienna Liberty Amendments Month has remained a vibrant local tradition with a wide range of programs, activities, and events, culminating in the Vienna Multicultural Festival, which celebrates cultural differences while recognizing common bonds of fellowship; and

WHEREAS, in 2024, Vienna Liberty Amendments Month was made possible through generous support from numerous community partners, including Fairfax County Public Library, First Baptist Church of Vienna, Historic Vienna, Inc., Phenomenal Photo Booth, Vienna Business Association, AARP, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Emmaus United Church of Christ, Friends of Patrick Henry Library, James H Hayes/Bull Run Lodge No. 529, M&T Bank, Vienna Public Art Foundation, Vienna Baha'i Faith Community, Optimists of Greater Vienna, and Studio 76, as well as the hard work and dedication of countless volunteers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Town of Vienna hereby be commended for providing historical education through its extensive Liberty Amendments Month celebrations; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Town of Vienna as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the town's efforts to preserve the history and heritage of the nation.