WHEREAS, the providential  history of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States of America began at the first landing site on the shores of Cape Henry, now Virginia Beach, Virginia on April 26, 1607; and

WHEREAS, on April 26, 1607, settlers from England, including the Reverend Robert Hunt, landed on the shores of Virginia and within days erected a wooden cross at Cape Henry to recognize the strength that their faith had provided them in their journey and would sustain them in their new endeavor; and

WHEREAS, the founders of our country were great men and women from many religious denominations, races, and cultures, who came here to establish a country “with liberty and justice for all,” and the Christian faith is an integral part of this rich heritage in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the Declaration of Independence conveys the profound belief of our founders that all men are created equal under a governance established upon the existence of the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness–rights not derived from government but from our Creator; and

WHEREAS, George Washington, in his first Inaugural Address, noted that "the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained;" and

WHEREAS, on March 3, 1865, the United States Congress passed an act to place “In God We Trust,” which became our national motto, on all gold and silver coins, serving as a constant reminder that our nation’s political and economic fortunes were tied to its spiritual faith; and

WHEREAS, on First Landing Day, citizens are urged to remember the pivotal day of April 26, 1607, and its importance to defining our spiritual and structural foundation to ensure liberty in the United States of America;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize April 26, 2025, as FIRST LANDING DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all of our citizens.