Observations from a Naturalization Ceremony
Sometime last year, I attended a naturalization ceremony for a friend of mine. He is an Afghani who translated for the U.S. Army during the war in his home country. Because of his honorable-yet-risky work, he was able to immigrate to the U.S. with a green card. He was one of the lucky ones. After a few years at a community college, he transferred to Columbia University where our paths crossed.
Interestingly enough, it wasn’t my first naturalization ceremony. The first one I attended was my mother’s when I was just seven years old. Rather than take in the significance of the event, however, at the time I was more preoccupied with the boredom of sitting in a courtroom. Now that I was more aware of what was happening, I paid attention to what turned out to be a pleasant — and perhaps uniquely American — event.
The ceremony was held in a nondescript office room lined with stock photos of bald eagles and American prairies. The “Candidates for Citizenship” sat upfront while I sat in the back with everyone else. Just about everyone in the room was formally dressed in suits and dresses. One man next to me wore an American flag style vest while his naturalizing wife wore a striped red and white dress. The man also happened to carry a backpack with a Marine Corps patch on, along with his name and rank.
In typical government fashion, the ceremony was running late. Although the program was supposed to begin at 1:00 PM, the event coordinators only turned on the projector with the ceremony’s slideshow at 1:45 PM. And just when you can’t expect less from government bureaucrats, the slide on the projector detailing the event’s timeline said the ceremony would begin promptly at 10:00 AM.
It was only around 2:00 PM when the emcee finally began the ceremony with a video from Madeleine Albright. The proudest day of her life, she stated in the video, was the day she gained American citizenship after immigrating from Europe. “I began life in a country taken first by the Nazis, and then by the Communists,” she said. “Only in America could a girl born in Czechoslovakia become Secretary of State, her adopted country’s chief diplomat,” she added. Of course, this wasn’t the first time either — Henry Kissinger had also accomplished something similar years earlier. In fact, our country has often been represented by naturalized citizens to great effect. The following video then showed quotes from other naturalized citizens, including one that stuck out to me: “My fellow soldiers made me feel like an American. Now I am proud to stand among them as one.”
Once the video was over, the emcee began the ceremonies by noting that the 35 candidates for citizenship that day represented 24 different countries. He quickly outlined some of the requirements of becoming a citizen, such as demonstrating ability in English and a U.S. knowledge test — a test many native-born citizens would fail today.
After some minutes discussing the candidates’ new rights they would gain after taking the oath, the emcee finally had all the candidates stand up to take the oath of citizenship, which was quickly followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. He said that, while it wasn’t required like the oath, we all recite it “because we love this country.” Many in America don’t like to say the Pledge of Allegiance, especially students, though there wasn’t much of that problem there.
Each of the newly minted Americans then lined up “graduation style” to receive their certificates of citizenship. Touchingly, pun recipe of the certificate many would turn around and express words of thanks or joy. Most memorably, one Ghanian woman turned around and simply exclaimed “I am happy now!” while a second, much older, Chinese gentleman emotionally told the audience “Thank you so much, and God Bless America!” Not surprisingly, he was also the first to take pictures in front of the American flag after the ceremony as well.
The ceremony finally ended with a call for these new Americans to register to vote. For many, this is the ultimate “perk” of becoming an American. To have a say in your governance is something incredibly dignifying, and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Having recently moved myself, I also had the chance to update my own registration. The duties of an American don’t end once you are a citizen, of course.
Overall, it was a great day. Not only did I get to witness a dear friend of mine receive his citizenship after serving our country so faithfully, but I was also reminded of the noble foundations of our country. No matter the situation you were born in, the United States can give you a new lease on life. My only gripe, if I may say it, was the DHS flag posted next to the American flag during the ceremony. While it makes organizational sense for it to be present, having just the American flag would make the ceremony feel a bit less bureaucratic.
Plus, the pictures would be cleaner.
