Naturalization Ceremony |
Each year a lucky group of people from all over the world
stand with their hands raised in front of a judge and become US citizens. The
naturalization ceremony gives the large audience a chance to celebrate not just
the founding of the country but a chance to welcome new citizens. I have
attended this ceremony before and as in the past watching and hearing the ceremony
unfold was far better than fireworks, sparklers and barbecue.
David Rubenstein as a conclusion to his remarks celebrating
Jefferson, the Declaration, and the legal swearing in of 73 new US citizens
read Jefferson’s letter. David Rubenstein is an American hero. While he does
not have medals to prove this, he does have exceptional credentials.
David Rubenstein reading Jefferson's 'letter' |
He is a believer in learning from history. Yesterday he gave
us some lessons. He talked aobut how his grandfather cane to the US from Ukraine
at the age of 10. He had no money, no
education, nothing but his desire to live a better life away from the pogroms
against Jews in his former home. His father worked for $7000.00 a year in
Baltimore, but he sent his son to a great high school where David excelled.
From there David rose quickly through undergraduate study and law school. The
rest, as they say, is history too.
Naturalization ceremony |
naturalization ceremony |
One particular story stood out to me. A man stood up, took
the microphone and told us that he had been a citizen of Kuwait during the Gulf
War. During that time his business was ruined and he fled the city. He had to
leave one of his sisters behind. He settled in Bagdad and began a new business,
and then the Iraq war came and again he was left with nothing. But he was luckier than most. His English skills
were good and he was taken on by the US Military to serve as a translator. His
service to the military earned him a chance to come to the US and start again.
But this opportunity did not come without a price. He he had to leave a second sister behind when he had
a chance to come to the US. He thanked the politicians on the stage but also
said he hoped that his letters to them asking for help in getting his sisters
to the US would be answered. The judge overseeing the procedure said he thought
that something could be done.
Naturalization ceremony |
Mr. Cantor, whose staunch conservative credentials and
leadership in the House were taken as a given was shockingly defeated by a man
with little experience and money. Why? Mr. Cantor had dared say that at least a
small portion of those currently in the US illegally should be given an
opportunity to become citizens. Just a few miles from Monticello, the voters
decided that anyone who held out even the smallest hope of earning citizenship
should not represent them in Washington.
So while David Rubenstein and others extolled the glories of the country
that opens up its doors, the many who live just outside that mountain retreat
do not support bringing in those who seek refuge and a chance to make their
way.
For those who want to be moved by the real lives of people
who have been lucky enough to get citizenship, I would encourage them to visit Monticello
next July 4th. And I would recommend those who are against immigration
reform to attend the ceremony too. Maybe the stories they share will move them
to change their views. For those who are interested in the issue but won’t be
able to make the trip, then I would suggest reading a wonderful book, Becoming
Americans, edited by Ilan Stavans and with a short but compelling introduction by
Pete Hamill.
The book consists of narratives of those who have become
citizens. It starts far back in US history and ends with a present day
narrative. All are moving. Hamill’s
opening words seems worth quoting: Immigration made the United States into a
great nation. Yes: that’s a cliché. But it is also a fundamental social and historical
truth.” Stavans’ epigraph for the book
is something that was once read a lot but I fear that it is much ignored today:
The New Colossus
Emma Lazarus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
These words, engraved on the Statue of Liberty,were embodied
yesterday at Monticello. Two great symbols and two sets of text that have long
been held up as a part of what makes the US a ‘shining beacon on a hill’ were
some things I talked about yesterday with three people. Two of them were foreign
correspondents from China, there to cover the events. The other was a 17-year-old
student from China who had joined me to see what July 4th was all
about. Zihan's words capture what it is like to view this ceremony from the outside:
I think all of them were moved by the ceremony. It would be
hard not to. And I think all of them got a bit of an education. I know the
student did as she sent this to me shortly after the ceremony and festivities ended:
Zihan |
This student projects the events of the day into her own
experience and her own future. I think her reaction would resonate with a great
many people and I am lucky she took the time to send this to me. She is wise
enough to know she cannot yet know what the future holds for her. But she is an
excellent student and a wonderful person who would add not just to any school,
but to the fabric of any country too. She came to the US at 16, living away
from her parents in order to pursue her education. She is brave and smart and
will, no matter where she ends up, do well.
Zihan was not the only citizen of China moved by the ceremony. Qi Xing, a correspondent for a news agency in China, also responded in ways that helped me see the things from a global perspective. I would like to thank him for letting me post his wise words here:
"At the very beginning of my visit to Monticello, I was feeling like it was just a simple trip to have an other option on the Independence Day celebration rather than watching the same parade every year in D.C.. But when I experienced the naturalization ceremony, it really got me thinking about moving, passion and patriotism.
I started to think about the connection between your country and my generation in China. I was sent here to be a foreign reporter, that means I will never have a chance to be a citizen of U.S. But I've met many Chinese students here studying and then working, making their lives here, like what might happen to Zihan. They have abandoned a lot in their homeland, pursuing a new life in the global century, sharing views with people from all over the world. They want to have a better education and standard of living. And America is offering this opportunity to them.
Going to America is not a hard choice anymore for some in China. When we graduated from the university after 4 years undergraduate studying, we normally have 3 ways to go, working directly with a bachelor degree, applying for the graduate studying in China and abroad. And the third one is getting more and more popular—going to the US for education-- only if your family can afford the cost.
The latter group of people will enjoy their lives in U.K., Australia and mostly U.S. not only when they are studying in universities but also looking for a job and setting down here for the rest of their lives. The Chinese identification is more likely in the cultural sense In our society, we don't blame anyone who chooses not to be a Chinese citizen and make his life overseas. In my opinion, the U.S. is a immigration-based country if I can say so, and then China is a people having its members putting down roots all over the world. So I think there should be no obstacles between this two major powers on the immigration issue.
Being a journalist I am watching how's the immigration bill going. And I hope it will get a positive outcome for those of my friends who are competing for a green card and working visas here.
Thank you for writing the story which made me think a lot."
But I too wonder what the long-term result might be for those in China who might like to add their knowledge, expertise and passion to the American fabric. . With
immigration reform no longer an option, would she even have a chance to become
a citizen? I have written numerous posts on how the limits on H-1 work visas
have forced some of the best and brightest students from around the world to
return home when they have completed their education. We are training great students,
but we are not permitting them to add to the fabric of the US. We now import hundreds
of thousands of students from around the world to gain the opportunity to learn
in another national nation treasure—our colleges and universities. (They not
only bring a desire to learn they also pay full fees). But rather than give
them a choice to stay and use their skills to improve the economy and diversity
of the country we than send them home. This thought stayed with me last night,
as I watched from my porch atop a mountain not far from Monticello, the
fireworks go off in several towns around. I wondered how much I should be
celebrating and I am still wondering this today.
"At the very beginning of my visit to Monticello, I was feeling like it was just a simple trip to have an other option on the Independence Day celebration rather than watching the same parade every year in D.C.. But when I experienced the naturalization ceremony, it really got me thinking about moving, passion and patriotism.
I started to think about the connection between your country and my generation in China. I was sent here to be a foreign reporter, that means I will never have a chance to be a citizen of U.S. But I've met many Chinese students here studying and then working, making their lives here, like what might happen to Zihan. They have abandoned a lot in their homeland, pursuing a new life in the global century, sharing views with people from all over the world. They want to have a better education and standard of living. And America is offering this opportunity to them.
Going to America is not a hard choice anymore for some in China. When we graduated from the university after 4 years undergraduate studying, we normally have 3 ways to go, working directly with a bachelor degree, applying for the graduate studying in China and abroad. And the third one is getting more and more popular—going to the US for education-- only if your family can afford the cost.
The latter group of people will enjoy their lives in U.K., Australia and mostly U.S. not only when they are studying in universities but also looking for a job and setting down here for the rest of their lives. The Chinese identification is more likely in the cultural sense In our society, we don't blame anyone who chooses not to be a Chinese citizen and make his life overseas. In my opinion, the U.S. is a immigration-based country if I can say so, and then China is a people having its members putting down roots all over the world. So I think there should be no obstacles between this two major powers on the immigration issue.
Being a journalist I am watching how's the immigration bill going. And I hope it will get a positive outcome for those of my friends who are competing for a green card and working visas here.
Thank you for writing the story which made me think a lot."
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