JUST SAYIN’-It was 3:45 in the morning and I was making the grand sacrifice to get up so very, very early, but it was well worth it because I was going to witness the swearing-in ceremony for my good friend!
He had waited for years and done all the right things. He worked hard, married, had a son and is a positive contributor to his family and community. Now it was his turn to achieve one of his great dreams and be rewarded for being such a good heart—US citizenship.
We had to leave the Valley in the wee hours in hopes of avoiding much of the rush-hour traffic. When we arrived at the Convention Center at 7 a.m. for the 8 a.m. appointment, there were already hundreds of people in line before us—one line for applicants and one for family and friends.
Everything was astonishingly well-organized for the 5,000 future citizens and their 7,000+ guests. Once we entered the grand hall, guests were seated in the back and applicants had to get in lines along a wall where they turned in their green cards (very symbolic) and final questionnaire and then be given new forms—an application to vote (there would be tables out front as well to complete the process), a page on which were printed the Oath of Citizenship that they would take later in the morning and the lyrics to the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem.
While we waited for the ceremony to begin, patriotic music was played in the background (rhythms which enthused the crowd—I couldn’t help but sing along with those many martial songs I had learned in early childhood). On the screen in front were displayed the list of the 147 countries which these future Americans represented, but whose citizenship they would soon relinquish (sometimes with mixed feelings).
A brief video from President Obama was played along with another film which displayed a short history of American immigration. There were a number of speeches that were succinct but meaningful.
Due to the size of the audience, the ceremony was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but the location was designated the U. S District Court Central Division to make the proceedings legal. The Honorable Paul L. Abrams presided. I was particularly impressed by this magistrate’s moving and heartfelt presentation as he welcomed into full citizenship these thousands of hopeful, flag-waving people of all ages, upon whom were being bestowed all the rights and privileges to which they were entitled.
Needless to say, there were many tears and sighs of gratitude by these folks who for so long had wanted to raise their rights hands and take the oath. The ceiling lights blinked alternately, giving the distinct impression that we were viewing celebratory fireworks.
Guests were then asked to leave the auditorium to wait downstairs while each new citizen received his or her Certificate of Naturalization. As they exited the near-empty room and descended the escalator, each and every one was wildly cheered by eagerly awaiting people below. Reunions were full of emotion. My friend’s wife clung to him with so much pride and emotion that it made the rest of us melt with a genuine sense of empathy and a greater understanding of the magnitude of what had just transpired.
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These ceremonies (the first I had ever witnessed in person) occur about 14 times a year from January through August (thus allowing time for voter registration). On some of those days there are even two events. But all this transpires only after thorough background checks, written and oral exams, and sizable paperwork.
They had entered the building as immigrants. They exited into the bright sunlight as full-fledged citizens.
As Al Sharpton often reminds us, we are a nation of immigrants. Each one of us comes from another continent, country, and region and represents diverse ethnic and religious traditions. The foreign-born come here to join the American family—to maintain traditions but, at the same time, to acquire new ones. We must welcome them with open arms as if they were our long-lost relatives finally coming home.
And, most of all, we must not forget our own obligations as native … or foreign-born … citizens to participate in our representative democracy. We can all work together to accept but also improve upon the American dream.
Just sayin’.
(Rosemary Jenkins is a Democratic activist and chair of the Northeast Valley Green Alliance. Jenkins has written Leticia in Her Wedding Dress and Other Poems, and Vignettes for Understanding Literary and Related Concepts. She also writes for CityWatch.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 71
Pub: Sep 2, 2014