A Nation Like No Other (10 page)

. . . Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience—almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one's deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate. In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good.

When the interview was over the immigration officer reached to the far side of her desk and grabbed a bulky rubber stamp. I watched as it hit the paper. When she lifted it, it left behind a big red imprint. In the middle, the single word “APPROVED.” As I looked at my application and at the bright red stamp, it hit me.

I am now an American.

And at that very moment I wondered how many people before all of us have put so much of their future on that red stamp and that single word: APPROVED.... I know that at least some of you came from lives of hardship to realize this day and this dream. But think for a moment
about the people of previous generations who achieved this day. For them U.S. citizenship in a significant way marked the end to nightmares and violations of dignity that we can only begin to imagine.

I think it is fair to say that what drew you and me and all of those before us to this country and this moment is a simple concept that we can all understand and share. It is summarized in a single word: FREEDOM.

Perhaps it was to escape a state of oppression, or extreme poverty, corruption, or violations of human rights. Or perhaps, as in my case, you simply came here to pursue a dream.

What we all share is a thirst for Freedom: a desire to live as we want, without unreasonable interference, without unfair obstacles. A dream that through determination and hard work we can rise to a level we deserve.

The American Revolution, the one that says build your republic on individual rights not group rights; have a Bill of Rights that inscribes these and makes them available and legible to everybody; separate the church from the state; separate the executive, the judicial, and the political branch. Do all these things. It doesn't sound like much, but it is really a very revolutionary idea. There is hardly a country in the world that would not benefit from adopting those principles. I think that gives the United States a really good claim to be a revolutionary country, as well as of course, paradoxically, it's a very conservative one. So, it makes me very glad, very proud to become a citizen of it.

What is the American dream? I am the American dream....My mom told me that she came over here with $300 in her pocket and knew absolutely nobody. So, it's an amazing story.... I know that one of [my father's]
goals was to have a son that could maybe play professional golf. . . . They did everything they could, they sold the house, they maybe overextended and gave me the opportunity to go out to La Quinta [to live near a golf course]. . . . The fact that a kid that really wasn't supposed to be doing what I'm doing right now, is playing on the Ryder cup team and has won two tournaments by the time I'm 23, those are accomplishments I am very proud of. I would say I am the American dream right now. I am living it.

Vietnamese immigrants:
The whole family comes together, because he [a newly naturalized American] was in the military for South Vietnam and was in a prison camp for five years. . . . In Vietnam, you work hard, but you do not see the results. That's one nice thing in America. If you work hard and believe in whatever you believe in, you can get it. . . . She [another newly naturalized American] now has the benefits of life. She can vote, and she feels like she is an American now.

Hassan Asman Ali:
We are thankful they gave us a home, food, and everything. We are very thankful for everything. We are very thankful to be in America.

Jasmine Grace Emad:
I feel special. Free to be you and just get the best out of it.

I was born in Naples, Italy, and I moved to America when I was about six or seven years old. At a young age, I realized just how much my parents had done for us. They left their life behind. They left all their
friends and a huge family to come to America, a country of complete strangers, just for us. I was an Italian kid who moved to America and didn't speak a lick of English. We didn't really look like a lot of other people. We had no money and to come to this country with no connections to the entertainment business, and the fact that I was able to become a journalist and actually make a living from being on TV and speaking English and giving people news—it's incredible. So, now when my parents see me on TV it makes them so happy.

We are so lucky to live in this country. I think that when you're from somewhere else you really appreciate America even more and you don't take it for granted, because you know what it's like to live somewhere else. This country is incredible. There are no walls that you can't break down. One of the things that definitely unites us is freedom and the fact that we are free to do pretty much whatever we want to do. I am free to express myself, and I am free to advance in my career and not be held down. And, you can't say that for every other country. I love this country more than anything. Yeah, you know there are bumps in the road, but for the most part, the citizens of this country do a pretty darn good job living in harmony. We are all so different. This is a country based on people who are different living together. That's what makes it so great.

I was born in Shkoder, Albania, we moved here when I was just about eight years old. When I was younger, as I sat down with my father, I said, “Dad, what is the one thing that actually made you move here?” And he said to live in a country where you don't have freedom of religion, freedom of press, freedom of opportunity, and you're told what to do, was certainly not a place he wanted to raise his own family. He just wanted us to be able to achieve so much more. He knew that America would be the only place to do that. And they left everything behind. They left their families, their work, everything that they had ever achieved, and just started from scratch—not speaking a word of English, not having anything to them.

So when I graduated college with a political science degree, just being there and just seeing the tears in my parents' eyes, and just seeing the joy—was the greatest thing that's ever happened in my life. To be an American, for my whole entire family, is truly a blessing. We may have many differences and different things that we do, but at the end of the day, we all as Americans come together as one. We all unify as one.

My mom was a hairdresser [before coming to America] and my dad owned his own business as a plumber in Seoul. My first impression [of America] was, “Wow it's huge,” and it was a little scary. I was holding onto my parents because I did not speak the language....When my parents first decided to purchase this [dry cleaning] store, it was actually going out of business. There wasn't a lot of customers, so it was a big risk, but it was also one of those things where they really believed in the area, and they thought it would develop, but I remember for a couple of months it was really hard. I think my mom just usually kind of prayed that things would get better and the customers would notice, because it was a big investment. It was their life savings, and it was for us.

...When I was 12, I was always interested in social studies and government, and I thought, “Wow, this is really fascinating,” and I said to my parents, “I really want to work at the White House.” My parents said, “Just know that if you believe you can and work hard, you can.” And so I said, “You know, I think I will.”...The biggest joy and the biggest emotion that I've experienced is seeing my mom and dad when I brought them over to the White House for the first time. Just seeing their emotions and how proud they are of what I've done so far—that just means the world to me. . . . As a first-generation immigrant, this is the greatest country in the world and you can achieve anything that you set your mind to. I feel as though my parents enabled me to achieve my American dream.

I became a citizen in 1984, and since then, I feel that this is my country, and I love this country. I liked living in other places but never felt a sense of belonging. When you come to the United States, you feel that you are a part of this country. I am accepted and included as one of this great nation. In America, everybody came from somewhere, and so, we are all immigrants.

I came here when I was 10 years old. My parents brought me over from Russia. We were among the wave of immigration in the early '90s that came over here. I think the main reason why my parents brought me and my brother here is for us to grow up and have a better life, to know that their child can go through life without having the hardships that they had to go through—being told what to do and what you can think and what you can't think. Freedom. You're perfectly free to go out and make your own decisions. You're free to practice whatever religion you want.

In Russia I don't even know if they allowed any religions—definitely not the Jewish religion. I was able to come out and not be afraid about what my future is going to bring for me, and knowing that my brother and my parents are here and they'll make their future whatever they want it to be, and I'll make it whatever I want it to be. If you ask me what this country means to me: it means home. This is the place for me. This is where I grew up. This is where I built my life. This is where I see my future.

This country has always been a symbol of democracy, a symbol of letting people be who they wanted to be. We came with nothing. We came literally with a tiny suitcase. I love what is inscribed in the statue of liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry masses yearning to be free.” It's still true. You feel like you can be who you are, can be who you want
to be—there is no shame. When we talk about diversity, I don't think you can find diversity in any other country as you can find in America. Because it's part of our nature to accept people from all over.

Americans are constantly creating, constantly innovating, so as a new immigrant, as a new American, I have no excuse to come here and not do remarkable stuff. . . . The ultimate dream is that we will all stop saying we don't have enough resources to solve problems. We do have the resources; all we need is a little bit of creativity....What did JFK say: ask what
you
—
me
—can do for your country. That line has come to define my whole life in the U.S.

—Ronald Reagan

I
n his book
Remember Why You Play
, sports columnist and author David Thomas chronicles a season of high school football played by the Grapevine Faith Christian Lions. At one point during the season, Coach Kris Hogan saw an opportunity to teach his team something much more important than how to win a football game.