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And Starring as Herself…Mrsrkfj

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You are here: Home / Current Events / Taking the Oath

February 20, 2016

Taking the Oath

February 20, 2016

“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!”

~ Emma Lazurus

Washington Crossing Historic Park
It’s a challenge to sit through a USCIS Naturalization ceremony and not get misty eyed at least once. I attend a ceremony at least once a month to celebrate the achievement of a new citizen, a stranger I now have the honor to call friend.

USCIS Brochure

The steps of the ceremony are the same, but witnessing the passage of immigrant to United State citizen is special. With citizenship, more opportunities are available for employment. The ability to travel back home, sometimes after a multi year separation, is reality. The time it takes to petition for a relative shortens and families can reunite. As one Permanent Resident holder explained “I no longer have this invisible weight that I’ll be taken from my home and back to a country I don’t know”. Citizenship is freeing.

The USCIS ceremony I attended recently was held at Washington Crossing Historic Park. Fifty eight people from countries ranging from Liberia to Sweden gathered to take their oath.

img_2666

This ceremony was one of many that ushered in new Americans during a special Presidents’ Day celebration. This week, over twenty thousand people stood and took the oath.

Oath of Allegiance

This particular ceremony was special because the Honorable George Washington attended, leading the crowd in The Pledge of Allegiance, their first time as United States Citizens.

Pledge of Allegiance

Turning on the news daily, I am incensed to hear the misinformation about immigrants. Yes, a small fraction do bypass the rules but that diminishes the hours of work of those who study American History, demonstrating more knowledge than the average American knows about our country. To lump all immigrants together as criminals or cheap labor negates the work they do to learn and perfect English all so they can call the United States home.

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Filed Under: Current Events, immigration, USCIS

About Raya

Recently, Raya was told she is chill deficient. That is not for dispute. She's also a coffee addict, bacon lover, Batman crazy, knitter, tablet hoarder and other things that can be found on her About me page.

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Meet Mrsrkfj

Mrsrkfj at gmail dot com Mail mrsrkfj@gmail.com
Mrsrkfj is the star of this blog, Government name Raya F. I’m an African American mom, wife, sister, Toastmaster, knitter, Immigrant Advocate, Republican. Click to Read More

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