DAR Convened its First Virtual Annual Convention

Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution from around the world, and from our own Tri-Valley area, gathered last week for their annual convention – but in a historic first, they gathered entirely online for their Virtual 129th DAR Continental Congress. This year’s convention conducted its regular business and honored the extensive work of DAR members throughout the year with a new virtual experience considering the Coronavirus pandemic. The week-long event that typically draws more than 4,000 DAR members to the DAR Headquarters building in Washington, D.C., instead converted its business sessions, committee meetings, social functions, and evening award ceremonies into programming that could be viewed online, allowing even more of the 185,000 members across the world access to viewing time-honored tradition.

Prerecorded video programming for the Opening Night Ceremony on June 24 featured Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie Bunch, who was honored with the DAR History Award Medal and provided the keynote remarks. Pulitzer-prize winning author Rick Atkinson was awarded the DAR Excellence in American History Book Award for his book, The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777. The DAR Media and Entertainment Award was presented to the PBS history and genealogical program “Finding Your Roots,” and host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. provided acceptance remarks.

The National Defense Night Ceremony, which aired on June 27, celebrated the nation’s military and veterans, with LTG Robert Ashley, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency providing the keynote remarks and receiving the DAR Patriot Award. Other national awards were presented virtually during the week to outstanding individuals celebrating excellence in historic preservation, education, and patriotism.

The local Jose Maria Amador chapter in Pleasanton had multiple members attend virtually, including Regent Cindi Newbold, who stated “I’m loving 21st century technology!! Last week I would have taken my annual trip to Washington, DC, but COVID-19 restrictions forced an online event that left me amazed. The emotional and social impact of seven days of virtual participation as we conducted business, presented awards, enjoyed celebrations & luncheons, renewed friendships and made new ones! The blessings of this experience have prompted me to consider adjusting my thinking, behavior, and execution of business. Another bonus was the narrowing of the accessibility gap to those not able to travel due to age, health or economy!”

And as noted by our President General, Denise Doring VanBuren “Though we could not be together in person, we embraced technology to gather virtually to celebrate the success of our Society. We were determined that the pandemic would not keep us from fulfilling our important mission. Our Virtual 129th Continental Congress not only highlighted the outstanding work of our membership over the past year but also allowed us to honor worthy Americans who have made significant contributions to our nation and their neighbors.”

The DAR Continental Congress is an annual gathering that has traditionally been held in Washington, D.C. since the organization’s founding in 1890. National, state and chapter leaders as well as other members from across the country and around the world gather to report on the year’s work, honor outstanding award recipients, plan future initiatives and reconnect with friends.