On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 4, roughly 200 people from all over Massachusetts congregated at the University of Massachusetts Bowker Auditorium. With their families and close friends, they celebrated their official citizenship during a naturalization ceremony. The event was attended by U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, Chancellor Subbaswamy and UMass President Marty Meehan.
The event began with the group taking the oath of allegiance, officially becoming naturalized citizens. With an American flag and a manilla folder of documents sitting on the laps of each citizen, the excitement was palpable as the civic leaders offered their congratulations and advice to the newly minted U.S. citizens. The first speaker, Magistrate Judge Katherine Robinson, talked about the many contributions that naturalized citizens make to society and democracy.
“This country would not be what it is without people like you who’ve chosen to live here, chosen to raise your families here, who have chosen to work here. Becoming a U.S. citizen requires work, and it often requires difficult personal choices and challenges in adapting to new circumstances,” she said. “The diversity of this group represents the strength of America.”
Chancellor Subbaswamy shared his experience moving to the U.S. in 1971 when he left India at the age of 20 with only eight dollars in his pocket. He then pursued his Ph.D. at Indiana University Bloomington.
“I was so scared and didn’t know what to do that I didn’t leave my room on campus for 48 hours, hoping I wake up and find myself in India,” he said. Thereafter, he was “supported by the community and embraced by the community. And then the rest, as they say, is really history.”
Subbaswamy was naturalized in 1984 in the Eastern District of Kentucky. He teared up while remembering his own naturalization. “It is that emotional when you go through this process,” he said.
Now 50 years after his own naturalization, during which the Watergate scandal was unfolding and the Vietnam War was ending, the country is again in tumultuous times. He noted the importance of freedom of speech and academics amidst those events of unrest in history, comparing the significance of his experience with today.
“As a deeply divided country we’re experiencing a national reckoning of social and economic inequalities,” Subbaswamy said. “When I look back on my 20-year-old self, I’m grateful that I ordered that plane.”
Subbaswamy welcomed President Marty Meehan to the stage, who said there are “few moments in civic life that surpass the naturalization ceremony.”
He reminded the audience that we are a nation of immigrants. “We need each and every one of you, we need to participate. We need to prosper. And we want you and your families and their families to have a better life in the United States of America,” he said.
Mindy Domb, state representative of Hampshire District, introduced U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern for the ceremony’s keynote speech. “What makes an American?” he asked. “Loyalty to justice, liberty and equity.”
McGovern spoke about the late Congressman John Lewis, who was a significant figure in the Civil Rights Movement. “He challenged [the U.S.] to become a more accurate one, filled with tolerance and love. Where liberty and justice for all are not just empty words, but a pledge to all of us as Americans.”
On March 7, 1965, known as Bloody Sunday, Lewis led 600 demonstrators in a march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. to advocate for Black voting rights. As Lewis and the marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Alabama State Troopers attacked the protesters. “John sustained serious injuries that day, and he almost lost his life. He bled on that bridge fighting for a more just future,” McGovern said.
“I tell the story to remind you that sometimes your oath as a citizen means that you have to speak out, to stand up,” he said.
McGovern emphasized how citizenship is not a status but a job. This includes advocating for the rights of others. In the spirit of John Lewis, he told all those gathered, “Today, I’m asking you to make good trouble.”
He also noted today’s arrest of former President Donald Trump. “And while that’s an unfortunate moment in our history, in many respects, it highlights what is so unique and special about the United States of America,” he said. “That is – no one, no matter how powerful, no matter how well connected – is above the law. We are all equal under the law.”
A video message from President Biden was played on a screen, congratulating the naturalized citizens and welcoming them to citizenship. “Today, you’ve earned a new title equal to that of an American president, a title I’m most proud of – citizen. Citizen of the United States of America,” he said.
The ceremony closed with the national anthem and four members of UMass’s ROTC presenting the nation’s colors.
After the ceremony, families and friends gathered outside, many taking pictures with a hand-held American flag and their official certificate of citizenship.
Almas Zahvouni, who took part in the naturalization ceremony, was there with her husband Kareem Alzuhari and their two young children. She immigrated from Iraq in 2019. She said she was happy and ready to celebrate with her family.
“I feel fantastic,” Judelfy Basquez, ceremony participant, said. “It’s a great day for me and my children.”
Princela Boateng came from Worcester for the naturalization ceremony. For Boateng, Subbaswamy’s story of his own immigrant experience was the most resounding moment of the event. “I was so touched,” she said.
“Today is a big day for me. I’m very, very happy,” Yolanda Milondo Moussounda of Great Barrington said. She acknowledged the long process of becoming a U.S. citizen; she moved from Congo to Massachusetts in April 2014. Moussounda was joined by her loved ones who said that they started celebrating yesterday and that today they planned to go home and have an even bigger party.
Caitlin Reardon can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @caitlinjreardon.
Grace Fiori can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @grace_fiori.
