Courtesy, Jefferson Monticello
Monticello to Mark Jefferson’s 282nd Birthday, Award Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership During April 11 Ceremony on West Lawn, Wreath-Laying Ceremony on April 13
On Friday, April 11, the University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello will present the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medals as part of a series of events commemorating Jefferson’s birthday, known at UVA as Founder’s Day.
Monticello will mark the occasion with a ceremony on the iconic West Lawn at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.
The keynote address will be given by Bryan Stevenson, the 2025 recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership. Stevenson is a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor, the incarcerated, and the condemned. Stevenson is the author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller “Just Mercy” and the subject of the Emmy Award-winning HBO documentary “True Justice.” He is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama. Under his leadership, the initiative has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and aiding children prosecuted as adults. Stevenson has won multiple cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, won numerous awards including the prestigious MacArthur Foundation “genius grant,” and has received over 50 honorary doctoral degrees.
During the ceremony, Monticello will also present the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Award in Citizen Service to Martize Tolbert on behalf of The Fountain Fund. Founded in 2017, the Fountain Fund provides low-interest loans and financial coaching, helping formerly incarcerated people build credit and achieve their self-determined goals. Ceremony attendees can also meet local organizations making a difference in the Community Partner Tent, located at the back of the West Lawn. The Partner Tent will open at 9:00 a.m.
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Attendees may register at monticello.org/foundersday.
On Sunday, April 13, Monticello will mark Thomas Jefferson’s actual birthday with a wreath-laying ceremony at his gravesite at 1:00 p.m. The United States Army will place the presidential wreath, accompanied by performances from the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps. This event is included with all same day admission.
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