Chef Lidia Bastianich To Welcome New U.S. Citizens at the National Archives on December 13
Media Alert · Thursday, December 5, 2024

Washington, DC

To celebrate Bill of Rights Day (December 15), the National Archives is hosting a naturalization ceremony at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 13. The private ceremony, held in the historic National Archives Rotunda, will see 25 people sworn in as new U.S. citizens in front of the Bill of Rights and our nation’s other founding documents. 

Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan and special guest Lidia Bastianich will provide remarks. The Honorable Judge James E. Boasberg, Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, will preside and administer the Oath of Allegiance. The candidates for citizenship are from 25 nations: Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Serbia, and Spain.

“The National Archives is the home of the Bill of Rights, which safeguards the fundamental freedoms of every American, so it is a privilege to welcome new citizens as we commemorate the signing of these essential amendments on Bill of Rights Day,” said Dr. Shogan. “Our mission at the National Archives is to promote public inquiry and strengthen democratic participation, and I can think of no better way to do that than celebrating our newest citizens.”

The media is invited to cover the ceremony. To request press credentials, please email public.affairs@nara.gov by December 12. Accredited media representatives should use the Constitution Avenue special events entrance, at 7th Street, NW, and set up by 9:45 a.m. The ceremony begins promptly at 10 a.m. 

This year marks the 233rd anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights. See our National Archives News Bill of Rights Day page for related programs and online resources.

Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award–winning public television host, best‐selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a food and entertainment business. Lidia’s love of food, cooking, and its ability to connect family and friends was nurtured as a child in Pola, a small city on the Istrian Peninsula of what was then Yugoslavia. Lidia and her family were forced to flee the communist regime. After a dramatic escape that involved temporary separation from her father in Italy, they registered as refugees and lived in a refugee camp in Italy before they were resettled in the United States when Lidia was 11 years old. It was here that Lidia's culinary journey took flight, influenced by her experiences and the diverse cultures she encountered. Her cooking style is a tribute to her grandmother Rosa's farm-to-table approach, Aunt Nina's sophisticated techniques in Trieste, and the commercial cooking skills she acquired in a refugee camp kitchen.

The use of flash and additional lights is prohibited in the National Archives Rotunda.

Please note: Due to the ceremony, the Rotunda and the National Archives exhibit galleries will open to the public at 11:30 a.m. on December 13. Regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. resume on December 14.

This program is presented in partnership with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Bill of Rights Day commemorates the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution on December 15, 1791. In President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 proclamation, he asked that December 15 be “set apart as a day of mobilization for freedom and for human rights, a day of remembrance of the democratic and peaceful action by which these rights were gained, a day of reassessment of their present meaning and their living worth.” For 233 years, this landmark document has guaranteed our freedoms of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for redress of grievances.

New citizens and guests will share their naturalization ceremony experiences and photos through social media, using the hashtag #NewUSCitizens.