Secretary Rice addresses new U.S. citizens at a special naturalization ceremony held at the State Department April 23, 2007. "America stands as a shining example that difference does not have to be a license to kill. Difference can be a source of strength. Because you know now that from today forward, it matters not that you are Ethiopian-American or Russian-American or Mexican-American or Korean-American, you are just American," Rice said.

Washington – Diversity is a source of strength in the United States, which welcomes immigrants who want to take the oath of citizenship and honors naturalized Americans who have made significant contributions to their communities.

“If we as a nation are truly to be ‘one out of many,’ then we must also look to our responsibilities: to treat one another with civility and fairness,” said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was the first to congratulate 50 new American citizens at a special naturalization ceremony at the State Department April 23.

“America stands as a shining example that difference does not have to be a license to kill,” Rice said. “Difference can be a source of strength.”

“It did not matter from where you came, it matters where you're going. That is what it is to be essentially American,” she added.

Friends and family members applauded as the 50 applicants raised their right hands and swore allegiance to the United States of America.

“Today you are every bit as much a citizen as the president of the United States,” said Emilio Gonzalez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Gonzalez, who was born in Cuba, noted that he took his oath of citizenship when he was 9 years old.

More than 700,000 immigrants become U.S. citizens each year, according to USCIS.

Gonzalez also presented four “American by Choice” awards, recognizing the outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens Dina Habib Powell, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs; M.J. Khan, Houston City Council member; Farroqu Kathwari, president of Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., a home furnishings company; and Indra Nooyi, chief executive officer of PepsiCo.

Dina Habib Powell, assistant secretary of State for educational and cultural affairs.

Powell, who was born in Cairo, Egypt, and came to America at the age of 4, said she wants her American-born daughters to remember their heritage.

“America may not be perfect, but in America everything is truly possible,” she said.

The Americans by Choice awards program, begun in 2006, recognizes naturalized citizens who have made significant contributions to both their community and their adopted country. Awardees are named throughout the year. (See related article.)

Indra Nooyi, chief executive officer of PepsiCo. Farroqu Kathwari, president of Ethan Allen Interiors Inc.

Nooyi, who arrived from India in 1978 and became a citizen in 1992, was named the most powerful woman in business in 2006 by Fortune Magazine. “I came to America because of the opportunities and the ‘can-do’ spirit here,” she said.

She said that “with citizenship comes responsibility,” adding that she wants to help future generations have the same freedom and opportunities she has enjoyed.

M.J. Khan, Houston City Council member.

Kahn came to the United States from Pakistan in 1976 as a graduate student eager to be part of a country “that provides opportunities to people who work hard and play by the rules,” he said.

He dedicated his award “to the nation of Pakistan.” Kahn has served as president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston and of the Pakistan American Association of Greater Houston.

“I’m a living example that handsome bald people from Pakistan can get ahead in America,” he joked.

Kathwari, who came to the United States in 1976, has dedicated himself to the cause of conflict resolution in his native Kashmir. He is chairman of the Kashmir Study Group, serves on the boards of several nongovernmental organizations, and is director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University.

Immigrants demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit because they leave their homes and families and “add new blood to America,” Kathwari said.

Coming from a war-torn country makes him appreciate “America’s principles of tolerance, diversity and justice” even more, he added.

“America provides a life of dignity,” Kathwari told USINFO. He came to the United States because of the opportunities and the rule of law, he said.

He would advise new immigrants that along with opportunities “there can be obstacles, but the biggest obstacle is generally in your own mind.”

Washington Santos, of Brazil, a soldier stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, holds his 2-year-old son Mathew during the Annual Naturalization Ceremony in Seattle on July 4, 2006. Santos joined over 500 Seattle-area residents who took the Oath of Allegiance and became United States citizens.

Among the new citizens were Mila and Alfred Tecson, who emigrated from the Philippines with their two children in 1998. In less than nine years, they have established a thriving real estate business and have bought and renovated two homes. Alfred, an immigration lawyer, said he has come full circle: he has helped many people get their naturalization papers, and now it is his turn.

Enrique Sanchez-Armass came to America from Mexico in 1991 and is now an investment officer for the World Bank.

Hassan Hashi, his daughters Adna, 23, and Asha, 19, and their step-brother Mohamad Dahir Issa, 23, all from Somalia, took their citizenship oath together. Asha, a nursing student, said that “as women, there is more freedom for us here. America gives us the chance to be whatever we want to be.”

Asked why it was important for his family to become citizens, Hassan said, “I want all my family to work for the American dream.”

The 50 new Americans who participated in the April 23 ceremony are from Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Canada, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Somalia, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Additional information is available on Outstanding Americans by Choice Web site.

See also Population and Diversity and Visas and Immigration.

Louise Fenner
USINFO Staff Writer

 
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