We seem to take our citizenship for granted and we expect all the liberties and rights of our constitution. Today a group of 10 children were presented with certificates of U.S. citizenship. The event took place at the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum. The Children’s Oath Ceremony included one child each from the countries of China, Vietnam, Singapore and Poland. Pakistan, Mexico and the Philippines each had two new citizens.

The small Schoolhouse Museum was packed with the new young citizens as well as family members and friends. The ceremony began at 10 a.m. and various members of the media were in attendance. The site of the event was chosen by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). It was chosen for its fun and historic setting and also in observance of the upcoming 4th of July holiday. I think this will be an especially more significant holiday for our new citizens and their families.

The ceremony started off with our national anthem sung by Jeremy. Kathryn Radtkey-Gaither, California’s Undersecretary of Education, started off the ceremony by welcoming the children and their families. Sharon Rummery, Regional Media Manager with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) indicated that they try to hold this type of special events two times a year for children younger than 14.

USCIS Sacramento Field Office Director Michael Biggs gave a brief speech about what it took for the children to receive citizenship. Mr. Biggs then led the children in an oath and called each by name to receive their certificates of citizenship. As each child went up to receive their certificate you could see how proud the parents and family friends were. Genuine happiness glowed from the children and everyone else in the room. In the back, Lydia Hastings, a volunteered organist for the event played in the background.

After the event I went outside with a cameraman/interviewer from Channel 19 (Univision) to interview 13 year old Bryant Guillermo Martinez Castañeda and 10 year old Christian Martinez Castañeda. Both brothers were born in Tijuana, Mexico. The family currently lives in Tracy, Christian is in the 5th grade while his older brother will be starting High School. Their mom, Maria Socorro Martinez is originally from Jalisco, Mexico and the dad Guillermo Martinez is from Mexicali, Mexico. In order for family members to become citizens at least one parent has to already be a citizen. In this case Mr. Martinez was a citizen first and now his children followed. Maria will become a citizen after her 3rd year of being a resident. Like many immigrant families that have followed a similar path one of the parents lived in the U.S. while the other remained in their native country.

The whole event was very educational. I’m glad Sharon Rummery was there to answer all questions. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy her job and was very willing to provide information about the citizenship process. Sacramento has an office located at 650 Capitol Mall where any questions about how to get the citizenship process started can be answered. They can provide interested parties with the proper documents and are available to help fill these out. Appointments can be set up, help is available with the background check process and are more than willing to guide anyone interested in becoming a citizen through the paperwork and other requirements.

One of the most fascinating facts that Sharon Rummery shared was that approximately 800 new citizens are sworn in on a monthly basis in Sacramento. San Francisco can swear in around 1,300 new citizens a month.

Photos:

1 - Schoolhouse, 2 - Jeremy, 3 - Michael Biggs, 4 - Kathryn Radtkey-Gaither

4 thru 8 - Young Citizens

9 - Lydia Hastings

10 - Christian, 11 - Bryant, 13 - Maria Socorro, Christian, Bryant, Guillermo Martinez