Contact: Shanna O’Reilly at 202-225-1790 or Shanna.O’Reilly@mail.house.gov
Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen is scheduled to attend Friday’s unveiling of the Virgin Islands quarter at Emancipation Garden on St. Thomas. Congresswoman Christensen, along with the other congressional delegates, co-sponsored legislation authorizing the quarter, which passed the House of Representatives four times before being included in an Omnibus spending package in late 2007. Congresswoman Christensen particularly thanked Congressman Jose Serrano who was instrumental in placing the legislation in the Omnibus bill.
Christensen pointed to the joint efforts of all the congressional delegates. “Under the leadership of Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and with the representatives from Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas, we worked hard to educate our colleagues and to gain this opportunity to highlight the unique character of the District and each of the territories and to make more people the world over aware that we are all a vibrant part of the American family,” Congresswoman Christensen said.
She added that in a world that is becoming more environmentally conscious, the design with the official bird, tree and palm and an outline of the islands is a good reminder of the unique beauty of the territory.
“I was equally pleased to learn that the U.S. Park Service and the U.S. Mint have also chosen to honor St. Croix and Salt River in another quarter series,” she said.
“I would like to congratulate Governor John deJongh and his team on the great work they did in choosing a likeness for the quarter and for preparing for its unveiling next week. It is an ideal way to get the word out to the world about the wonderful place that we are fortunate to call home,” she said.
