Celebrity Celebrity Belief & Identity Celebrity Social Issues Lin-Manuel Miranda Marks Jan. 6 Anniversary with Virtual 'Hamilton' Performance at Capitol Event "We should never take our rights and liberty for granted," Lin-Manuel Miranda said, introducing a performance of the Hamilton song "Dear Theodosia" on the first anniversary of the U.S. Capitol riots By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Glenn Garner is a form writer-reporter who worked heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. He left PEOPLE in 2023. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 6, 2022 10:13PM EST Photo: c-span Lin-Manuel Miranda brought a little bit of Broadway to Washington, D.C., this week. The three-time Tony Award winner, 41, introduced a Hamilton cast performance of "Dear Theodosia" Thursday at a congressional event observing the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. "A new year brings hope for the future, new energy to face the tasks ahead of us and a renewed promise to strengthen the foundations of our democracy. We are all stewards of the American experiment, working to pass down to our children and our grandchildren a more perfect union that treats all its citizens with fairness and equity," Miranda said. The Capitol Riots, 1 Year Later: Witnesses Remember the Nightmare — and What Comes Next "We should never take our rights and liberty for granted and we must remain committed to finding a way forward together. That's what I wrote about in the song 'Dear Theodosia' from Hamilton. I believe no challenge is worth abandoning our efforts to unite as Americans. We will keep working, generation after generation, until we reach that someday." He was introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who referred to Miranda as "one of the great creative talents of our time" before quoting a lyric from the song, which was performed by Edred Utomi, Jamael Westman, Julius Thomas III, Pierre Jean Gonzalez, Joseph Morales, Miguel Cervantes, Nicholas Christopher, Josh Tower, and Jared Dixon. "We'll make it right for you / If we lay a strong enough foundation / We will pass it on to you / And we will give the world to you," Pelosi, 81, said. The performance came amid a day of events in "solemn observance" of the anniversary, which Pelosi announced last month, including "a discussion among historians about the narrative of that day; an opportunity for Members to share their experiences and reflections from that day; and a prayerful vigil in the evening." On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of former President Donald Trump supporters marched to the Capitol to protest the results of the presidential election. The protests descended into riots, which resulted in the deaths of five people. RELATED VIDEO: Hamilton's Phillipa Soo and Renée Elise Goldsberry Facetimed Lin-Manuel Miranda After Emmy Win The anniversary comes as a House of Representatives committee's investigation of the riot continues. Close