Article Text
Fifteen people from around the world will become U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony in Vienna as the nation marks its 250th anniversary year.
The ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. SE. Live music and local entertainment will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Vienna scout troops will present the colors and lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Sunday Moran, a cast member in the Vienna Youth Players’ production of “Guys and Dolls,” will perform the national anthem.
Mayor Linda Colbert, Congressman James Walkinshaw and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services staff will congratulate the new citizens. Vienna-area resident Ron Levy, the son of Jewish German refugees, will deliver the keynote address.
The ceremony is a major event during Vienna’s Liberty Amendments Month, which runs from June 13 through July 13. The month commemorates the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and their roles in extending citizenship, equality and voting rights regardless of race, gender or culture.
The naturalization ceremony will place particular emphasis on the 14th Amendment, which addresses citizenship, due process and equal protection under the law.