Celebrating American Heritage
On August 17, Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar of the California Supreme Court addressed newly naturalized U.S. citizens during their U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California. Below is a transcript of his remarks.
New citizens, friends and family, and fellow Americans: Thank you for honoring me with this invitation to share a day to remember. The day I became an American is one I will never forget. I was in Hartford, Connecticut. When certificates were given to new citizens at Hartford’s federal court, my name was skipped. As I nervously wondered what the background checks had discovered about me, the staff searched for my certificate and finally found it in the back of the wrong box. I'm glad they did, because otherwise I wouldn't be here.
We gather today not to mark your receipt of that paper –– though preserve it you should –– but to celebrate the stake we now share in this place. Your presence here is symbolizing an end as well as a beginning, as President Kennedy once said, and signifies renewal as well as change.
For you have sworn before me in the name of what you hold dearest the same solemn oath that I once did nearly two decades and five years ago. To believe in a country not because it is perfect, but because of its purpose. Your presence means you know this country has a place for you and your family, but it also signifies the meaning you find in our country's purpose: that by your voice and vote, you take part in how we govern. That you're equal before the law whether you're rich enough to put your name on a building or you clean the inside of that building. That our laws protect not only the strong but the weak.
No one among us should pretend that being American means no more heartache. No more disappointment. But every one of us can find here our chance to do anything noble and decent to which we set our mind. Honoring family. Earning an honest day's pay for a day of work. Remembering those who came before us and struggled so our country could be more strong, fair, and just. Discovering something new about this complicated and beautiful world as it is, and anticipating the world we may yet create.
You're now the heirs of this land's ancient heritage. That heritage was forged by soldiers and diplomats, teachers and farmers, and countless others you'll never meet. You bring to that heritage your own: language, literature, humor, and history. Forever more when someone says "American," raise your head up because they mean you. Because of that, this moment in your own history celebrates both all you inherit and all you'll contribute. So I will leave you with three ideas this morning to help you reflect on what that means: One about family, one about service, and one about democracy and law.
Years ago every one of you was born beyond these borders. Six of you in Afghanistan, one of you in Syria and one from Iraq, many dozens from Canada and the United Kingdom, and hundreds more from Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines, across the planet’s mighty oceans. Some of you fled persecution and perhaps arrived without all documents in order. Some of you sought a better life and education for yourself and your children. Some of you came from admiration, as my parents did, for the country's traditions and institutions even as you realized the work remaining to fully achieve their promise. Today it doesn't matter how you came to be here. You are now part of the American family –– and consider what that means. It’s as much your country as it is for someone who was born here. Most Americans have understood that immigrants help us better understand our world. They make us more creative and resilient. They help us grow. No family is perfect, and neither is this country. But no matter what you hear from anyone, whether they’re rich or poor, or whatever the house they live in, you belong here.
Membership in that family also requires you to serve. Someday you’ll be called to serve in a jury, so you can make sure someone gets a fair trial whether she or he is being tried for murder or some small misdemeanor. You need to take that seriously. That’s the price you pay for your membership here and for the power this country has to get better over time. Even if it’s frustrating, if it takes you away from your job or even a sick relative, your living up to that responsibility is what it takes to keep your country –– and your larger family –– healthy.
Finally: democracy and law. Taking part in democracy is your right and your responsibility. So vote. Speak out. Remember your voice now counts –– and in your choices, you’ll find our choices as a family of citizens. But I ask you to do more than just to vote. Whatever else you remember from this beautiful day and all that's happening in the country right now, I want you to remember that democracy, equality, and the rule of law can never be taken for granted. They must be defended in what you teach your kids. In what you do and say to keep at bay the cynics. In the effort you make to pay the right amount of taxes or take seriously that jury summons from state or federal court. In how you share your story with and learn from people around you who've never known someone of your background, and how you bring light to those in the darkness of ignorance. Through these and countless actions, democracy, equality and the rule of law must be defended not just today or tomorrow, but time and again –– without compromise. And without hesitation.
To play that role right now is the gift you really get when, in just a few minutes, you hold in your hands that paper document that says "certificate of naturalization." In return we of your new country also get a gift: a country made stronger by your dreams, your deeds, your history and hope. Because you bring them to the United States, I have high hopes not only for your future, but that of a country we've truly made our own.
