Vienna's Liberty Amendments Month Ends With Festival

VIENNA, VA — The Town of Vienna's first-ever Liberty Amendments Month celebration will wrap up with a Multicultural Festival on Saturday, July 17.

Liberty Amendments Month is being celebrated for the first time in Vienna and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The celebration focuses on the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th amendments, which give rights to people who were previously excluded. The 13th Amendment in 1865 abolished slavery; the 14th Amendment in 1868 granted citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the U.S. and reaffirmed the right to due process, life, liberty, and property; and the 15th Amendment in 1870 protected the right to vote for people regardless of race, color, or past servitude. The 19th Amendment in 1920, which extended the right to vote to women, is also included in the Liberty Amendments.

Vienna's Liberty Amendments Month celebration was the idea of Town Manager Mercury Payton, who sought to help residents find common ground after last summer's unrest. The month-long celebration started with the First Baptist Church of Vienna's annual Juneteenth Celebration and ends with the July 17 Multicultural Festival as well as the town observance of Liberty Amendments Day on July 19.

The Vienna Multicultural Festival will be held Saturday from 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on historic Church Street and the Town Green. The free event features performances, interactive activities, artisans, food, and vendors that celebrate the diverse cultures and communities in Northern Virginia and the DC area. Children can partake in crafts with the Ayr Hill Garden Club, an Escape Room focused on history around the 19th Amendment created by Belong!, and more. The festival is free and open to the public.

Here is the performance lineup:

Main Stage

• 3 p.m. - Rumisonko- Bolivian Folk Music
• 5 p.m. - The Flaming Shillelaghs- Traditional Irish Music and Dance
• 6:30 p.m. - Pan Masters- Caribbean Steel Drum Orchestra

Town Green Stage

• 2:30 p.m. - Velocity Dance
• 4:00 p.m. - Showcase of Belong! Essay Contest Winners followed by: Anansegro of Ghana- African Drums, Songs, Stories, and Games
• 6:00 p.m. - Cuppett Performing Arts Center: Unity Dance

For more information, visit www.viennava.gov/liberty.