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Naturalization Ceremony-Sponsored By Downtown Southport, Inc
July 3, 2023 @ 4:30 pm
Sponsored By:
The North Carolina 4th of July Festival will conduct its 24th annual Naturalization Ceremony on July 3rd on the Ft. Johnston Garrison House Lawn beginning at 4:30 p.m. This annual feature of the Festival will be preceded by a band concert with music from the Brunswick Big Band starting at 3:45 p.m. The keynote speaker for this event will be Secretary of State, Elayne Marshall.
“After a three year hiatus, the NC 4th of July Festival is delighted to once again provide an appropriate venue to welcome some of our country’s newest citizens. There could not be a more appropriate venue for our country’s newest citizens than in Southport, NC on the Banks of the Cape Fear River”, said Mr. Tom Rabon, NC 4th of July Festival Naturalization Ceremony Committee Chair.
The ceremony is a significant part of the NC 4th of July Festival held annually in Southport, N.C. It is anticipated that more than 30 new citizens will be administered the oath of citizenship by Honorable Richard E. Myers II, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Judge Myers II was confirmed on December 5, 2019, filling what was at the time the longest standing vacancy in the federal courts. He took the bench on January 6, 2020. Prior to his judicial appointment, Judge Myers served on the faculty at the University of North Carolina School of Law as the Henry Brandis Distinguished Professor of Law.
The key-note speaker will be the Honorable Elaine F. Marshall, Secretary of State, NC Department of Secretary of State. In 1996, Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall became the first woman elected to a statewide, executive branch office in North Carolina and has served as President of the National Association of Secretaries of State. A former teacher, small business owner, and private practice attorney, Secretary Marshall was elected to the NC State Senate before rising to statewide office. Under Secretary Marshall’s administration, more than 1.8 million businesses have been formed, she has pioneered e-commerce in government, protected investors and intellectual property owners, and promoted financial capital formation in North Carolina.
Secretary Marshall has received numerous state and national awards, including the NC Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award presented by Gov. Cooper in 2022, the 2022 Champion for Children Award from the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children, the 2020 N.C. Bar Association’s Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake, Jr. Public Service Award, the 2020 John A. “Pete” Eberhart Ray of Light award from Boundless Impact for her decades of work advancing North Carolina’s Global Competitiveness, Leadership North Carolina’s 2016 Award for Public Service, and the 2007 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award for a State Government Official. In addition, she was honored with the 2019 Brand Protection Hero Award from the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection (A-CAPP), the Charlotte Business Journal’s 2017 International Trade Lifetime Achievement Award, and Meredith College’s 2017 Woman of Achievement Award, Secretary Marshall has been honored with four honorary doctorates, Triangle Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Business, and was a 2018 Inductee for the NC Women Business Owners Hall of Fame. She has also received Lifetime Achievement Awards from North Carolina 4-H and the National 4-H Hall of Fame. She has received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Campbell University, Lees-McRae College,
Meredith College and the Republic of Moldova State University of Medicine.
Following the Brunswick Big Band concert, Amuzu Theater will perform select songs as a Salute to America. Posting of the Colors and Retirement of the Colors will be provided by the Southport Fire Department, the Brunswick Town Chapter, NSDAR, Community Center for New Citizens and Friends will provide a reception specifically for the new citizens and their invited friends and family members.
On behalf of the NC 4th of July Festival Tom Rabon offers a welcome, “As some of our country’s newest citizens complete the Naturalization Program, the People of Southport and the NC 4th of July Committee look forward to welcoming them into our community.”
The Naturalization Ceremony is sponsored by Downtown Southport, Inc.
