Vienna's Liberty Amendments Month Continues With 15th Amendment Events

VIENNA, VA — After Fourth of July weekend festivities, Vienna's Liberty Amendments Month continues this week with a focus on the 15th Amendment.

The second annual Liberty Amendments Month celebrates amendments that extended rights to people previously excluded from the U.S. Constitution — the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments. The 15th Amendment guaranteed voting rights regardless of race, color, or past servitude.

Vienna's 15th Amendment events run from Monday through Saturday. On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., a viewing and panel discussion of "Race: The Power of an Illusion," episode two: The Story We Tell will be held at the Vienna Community Center. This episode focuses on how the transition from indentured servant status to slave became associated with skin color and pseudoscientific definitions of race led to rationalizing the exclusion of rights for Black, Native American and Hispanic people in the U.S. The panel discussion will be moderated by Karla Bruce, Fairfax County's chief equity officer, after the film. Complimentary popcorn and water will be provided. The event is suggested for ages 12 and older, and free registration is recommended. The program is presented by Patrick Henry Library and Fairfax County Public Library.

Another mini-fest on the Town Green is scheduled for Saturday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will include children's games and activities, prizes, vendors, food trucks and performancers. Live performances will include Blue Sky Puppet Theatre Show presenting Rufus, a story of acceptance and inclusion, at 3 p.m.; the Vienna Community Band's flute quartet, Park Street Strutters Dixieland Band and clarinet ensemble from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and US Army Band Downrange at 6:30 p.m.

In between special events, check out a 15th Amendment museum exhibit at the Freeman Store and Museum and the Vienna Community Center during operating hours as well as a 15th Amendment Flash Card Quiz and Liberty Amendments informational signs outside the two facilities. Historic Vienna, Inc. also has a self-guided tour of contributions of Vienna’s African Americans from 1867 to 2006 by longtime residents Sylvia Taylor and Gloria Runyon.

The Vienna Business Association and Town of Vienna also promoting a Liberty Amendments Month Bingo, which can be completed by supporting local businesses or attending Liberty Amendments Month events. Completed bingo cards can be returned by July 25 for a chance to win gift cards from local businesses.

Liberty Amendments Month was started in 2021 by Town Manager Mercury Payton to recognize several Constitutional amendments that gave rights to people previously excluded. Other Liberty Amendments include the 13th Amendment banning slavery; the 14th Amendment in 1868 granting citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the U.S. and reaffirming the right to due process, life, liberty, and property; and the 19th Amendment in 1920, giving women the right to vote. The 19th Amendment week will wrap up Liberty Amendments Month from July 10 to 19.