Join the VMHC for the fourth annual Conrad M. Hall Symposium for Virginia History, an event where historians, practitioners, and members of the public will gather to explore our shared past. Beginning the day will be a special keynote lecture from award-winning journalist Tom Gjelten on his book A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story, which looks at the profound demographic changes in the United States since the 1965 Immigration Act. Gjelten tells this story through a special focus on Fairfax County, Virginia, sharing the experiences of several immigrant families that illustrate broader themes of the immigrant experience. Tom Gjelten is a veteran journalist and author of Sarajevo Daily: A City and Its Newspaper Under Siege and Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause. Over a thirty-year career as a correspondent for NPR News, he has covered wars in Central America, the Middle East, and the former Yugoslavia, as well as major national stories in the United States. His NPR reporting has won him two Overseas Press Club Awards, a George Polk Award, and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. He has appeared as a panelist on the PBS program Washington Week, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a member of the Editorial Board at World Affairs Journal. Guests will then have the opportunity to hear from 11 panels comprising more than 30 experts from across the Commonwealth during a full day of engaging presentations that highlight groundbreaking research into Virginia history around the theme of "Migration." This year's presenters will cover such varied topics as loyalism during the American Revolution, the use of public art in telling stories of migration, immigrants’ involvement in public service to the U.S., migration and movement during slavery, and many more. In addition to compelling panel discussions, guests will have access to tailored museum experiences that highlight migration in Virginia. Ending the day will be a reception for guests and speakers to mingle and reflect on the day’s learning. Tickets to the event include museum admission, the keynote lecture, all panel discussions, and an evening reception.