Ode to Joy, American Style
Cuban-born Luisa and 813 other immigrants become American citizens in a ceremony overflowing with optimism and hope
Greetings, all. Many regular readers of this column have been following the journey of my friend Luisa as she studied for her American citizenship exam and then passed the test in early August. Today’s Tilting West is a report on the day in which she and hundreds of other immigrants officially became United States citizens. The piece also includes a very simple quiz that will challenge you in a fun way. Enjoy!—Kevin
It was a feeling of building excitement. This is the best way to describe the atmosphere outside the convention hall in downtown Sacramento, California, on the morning of Wednesday, August 21.
The faces of hundreds of men, women and children shone bright with eagerness as if they were all waiting for the gates to open for a Taylor Swift concert or an NFL championship game. The line was impressively long. It stretched from the front doors of the hall two and three people abreast down J Street and turned left on 14th and kept going and going for several more long blocks.
But nobody in line was going anywhere despite the long wait. They had to be there. They wanted to be there. They chatted and laughed and checked their phones and took selfies and pictures of this scene and this day they would remember the rest of their lives.
Besides the sheer numbers of people present, what struck you most was how many different kinds of people there were.
Cherry-cheeked Irish faces with freckles, tall Sikh men whose turbans made them appear even taller, East Indian grandmothers in their native land’s traditional dress, shy Arab girls adorned in religious head scarves, broad-chested Mexican vaqueros in white collared rodeo shirts with snap button pockets, and in the line ahead of us, a smartly-groomed Japanese mother with a Kate Spade daypack whose nervous young son gripped her hand tightly as the line moved forward.
On this day of all days, most every person in line clutched a vital piece of paper, their golden ticket into the Chocolate Factory. It was the registration form that needed to be processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials in order for them to become citizens.
There were 814 new immigrants from 84 countries, each and every one of them, no doubt, with a story to tell of triumph over adversity. Once inside the building, they found their seats in the center section of the convention hall. Dozens and dozens of family members and friends—the cheering section, as it were—took up places along the sides.
As everyone filed in, a series of repeating slides with inspirational pictures and messages appeared on a screen up front. “Today I am an American,” said the most frequently shown slide, with “American” in capital letters against a backdrop of red and blue. Due to their health or for other reasons, a few individuals could not stay for the formal ceremony, so a USCIS official in a patriotic tie administered the Oath of Allegiance to them at a table off to one side.
Every participant in the ceremony carried a tiny American flag, waved it gleefully, and stood to sing the Star Spangled Banner and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The spirit in the hall was buoyant. Cynicism was checked at the door, similar to how the new-citizens-to-be, as they were presenting their registration forms to officials, turned in the green cards they would no longer need.
The ceremony included a short video of “America The Beautiful” and one on this country’s immigration history. The president of the United States made a welcoming speech on video, as did California’s Secretary of State urging all new citizens to register to vote. The highlight of the proceedings, however, was the roll call of all the countries that were represented that day.
For many of you, it may also be the highlight of this column: the quiz!
But first, the set-up.
A USCIS official read the roll call, proceeding in alphabetical order, beginning with Afghanistan, moving through Canada, France, and Ireland, saying hello to South Africa, Turkey and Turkmenistan, and ending with Zambia. When their country’s name was called, the person or persons from that country would stand and with beaming smiles and faces aglow, wave their little flags.
If there were lots of representatives from a given country, they all stood up in unison, wildly waved their flags, and made a joyful noise. Everybody, including the spectators seated along the side, cheered for everybody else. The room turned into a party, but a party packed with meaning, a celebration that meant so much to so many. A display of pride for the old country and love for this new one.
Now, the quiz. My only hint is to remind you that this was Northern California and included many Bay Area people. Of all the countries that participated, what three countries had the most representatives? Name them in order, please.
While you’re thinking about that, some countries had only one representative. This was true for Luisa, who was so excited to come to the ceremony that she arrived two hours before it began. She sat in the front row with her daughter and grandson and his wife. Jennifer and I, seated near the back, cheered and grinned furiously when “Cuba” was announced. Luisa stood up shyly with a big grin of her own.
We all agreed afterwards that if the ceremony had been held in Miami, Cuba’s numbers would have been much higher.
So many different nations, so many different kinds of people, with multiple shades of skin tones, multiple types of dress, multiple ways of worshipping God, all gathered together to share a festive moment. They came originally from the Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Iran, Taiwan and China. It was a portrait in miniature of a kind of dream world.
When the Oath of Allegiance to the United States was administered, all the new citizens rose from their seats as one. In imperfect English and with the accents of countries from across the planet, they solemnly repeated the words spoken by the USCIS official leading the pledge.
Then came the thing they had all been waiting for, some of them for years: the awarding of the official naturalization certificate that signified that each of them was now a citizen of the United States with all the rights and responsibilities accorded therein.
Such joy! Pessimism and dark forebodings of a grim future had no place there. Every shining face told a better story—one of hope and joy and optimism. In their hearts resides a dream, a dream that still lives.
Oh yes, almost forgot: the quiz. The three countries with the most new Americans at the ceremony were, in order: 1. Mexico. 2. The Philippines. 3. India. Mexico had the largest contingent, but the Philippines was not far behind and India had solid numbers too. How’d you do?
Kevin, I enjoyed reading this. My wife is an immigrant from Peru and became a citizen in 2006. It was such a great ceremony and this was a great reminder of that experience.