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email Naturalization Ceremony Keynote Address
Remarks by Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty
Miami Beach, Florida
April 21, 2005
Miami Beach, Florida
April 21, 2005
It is an honor for me to be here today, to be among the first to welcome you to your new community: the community of American
citizens. It is a community that extends far beyond your family, your neighborhood, your coworkers, your town or city. This
community stretches “from sea to shining sea,” and even beyond, to the crystal waters of Hawaii and the brilliant peaks of
Alaska.
Today you join a community that is as much an idea, an aspiration, a dream, as it is a common nationality. Yet, the dream
of America is made real by the commitment each and every one of you are making here today. Please accept my warm congratulations
to you and your families on this remarkable and memorable day.
I speak of citizenship as community. I make my home near Washington, D.C. and my work takes me all over the globe, but always
with me are the anchors of hope and freedom that abide in the heart of every American citizen.
We are all members of another extended community – that is the community of shared experience. If you would indulge me for
a moment, I would like to tell you an immigrant story. It began in a city that plays host to visitors and residents from
the far-flung corners of the world: New York. My grandfather came to the United States from Peru. He made his way to New
York and, after he met my grandmother, a young woman from Costa Rica, they set about to write a new history for themselves.
They worked hard. They built a family and a life together in what must have been a daunting land, far from home, away from
the support of family or even a common language. They made sacrifices to ensure that their children and their grandchildren
would have opportunities not available to them.
What a tremendous inspiration for me! I cannot help but reflect on the lives and sacrifices of my immigrant grandparents,
and call to mind my mother, the daughter of immigrants, as I stand before you. I am humbled by the opportunity to wish you
well on the journey my own family knows so well.
My family’s experience is America’s story. Looking out among you I see three thousand other stories of America today. Three
thousand different paths brought you to this moment, in which you can be justly proud. Yours are stories of hope. Each story
is unique, precious, and as constant as a star in the heavens. Your story will be with you throughout your lives, and strengthen
and inspire your family for generations to come. For the youngest among you today, I exhort you to honor the courage of your
parents and others who came before you on this journey. It is for you that they have followed this path.
The poet Emma Lazarus wrote of the Statue of Liberty, “From her beacon hand glows world-wide welcome.” Some of you may have
sought out our shores to escape tyranny or oppression. Some may have seen the glint of opportunity shining in a distant land,
or dreamed of setting down roots where justice and freedom flourish. No matter the reason, we welcome you.
The threads of numerous nationalities here today are woven into the tapestry of this nation, so brilliant and resilient.
No other country is as united by its diversity as ours. You can see it in this great city of Miami, a gateway to the nations
of the western hemisphere and a thriving, multicultural community. You can see it in the great cities and small towns all
across this beautiful nation.
America has always been strengthened and enriched by those who came in search of new opportunities. We love the raucous energy
of America – our nation of nations. We borrow from each culture here the customs that have helped our country to become so
much greater than the sum of its parts.
I am certain that you will proudly continue to teach your traditions to your young ones, even as you grow every day, influenced
by the constant give and take that is part of life in America. And as you do the quintessentially American thing – accepting
the new while still honoring your traditions and language and customs, I know that you may change a bit. Just as my own mom
honored her parents but sometimes made different choices than they did. I ask that, even as you change, you always strive
to remember why you came here.
Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandies said, “The only title in our democracy superior to that of president is the title of
citizen.” Our nation offers freedom, but it exacts a cost. And at times that cost might be dear. There surely will be difficult
challenges ahead from time to time as you balance the rigors and responsibilities of work, family and community. At these
tough moments, reflect for a moment, remembering why you came.
Remember the goals, the aspirations, the opportunities – and the responsibility of being a citizen of our beloved nation.
For her part, America needs your contributions, your commitment to the future of this nation. Serve. Contribute. Question.
Debate. Vote. These are the privileges and responsibilities of American citizens.
And always remember why you came.
Almost sixty years ago, thousands of Americans gathered in Central Park in New York City to celebrate what it is to be an
American. One of those present on that day, Judge Learned Hand, defined the spirit of liberty and the essence of America.
He said,
“The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is
not too sure that it is right; the spirit of
liberty is the spirit which seeks to
understand the mind of other men and
women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit
which weighs their interests alongside
its own without bias; the spirit of liberty
remembers that not even a sparrow
falls to earth unheeded … ”
He concluded that the spirit of America will never be except as the “conscience and courage of Americans create it.” That
is why you must always remember why you came. Remember that part of your conscience that drew you here, and the courage that
compelled you to come and to join this community.
Today is a day of celebration, a day for photographs, for laughter and tears – a day which will live in your memory forever. When you return home today, I recommend that you take a few moments to reflect on your thoughts of this day. Capture the moment – perhaps write them down. By creating a record, even though photographs taken today might fade, you will always remember why you came.
Today is a day of celebration, a day for photographs, for laughter and tears – a day which will live in your memory forever. When you return home today, I recommend that you take a few moments to reflect on your thoughts of this day. Capture the moment – perhaps write them down. By creating a record, even though photographs taken today might fade, you will always remember why you came.
Our nation is now yours, my fellow citizens. I hope you will join me in fostering the “spirit of liberty” that unites us.
Together we will welcome others who are drawn by the same hope of freedom, the same spark of possibility. Remember this day
and the milestones of effort and dedication and desire that brought you here. Together, let us share and contribute to the
bounty and limitless promise that is our America.
Congratulations and welcome.
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