Stockbridge — It was a day of celebration for friends and families of 28 immigrants who became naturalized United States citizens at a ceremony held at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Wednesday, October 23.
The newly naturalized citizens hailed from 21 different countries: Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Congo-Kinshasa, Côte d’Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Hati, India, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Liberia, Russia, Uganda, Ukraine, and Vietnam.
“You’ve sworn a solemn oath today, and you’ve committed yourselves to making a life in this country,” U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson told those being sworn in. “Today, we are all celebrating this choice. Every year, and every day, naturalized citizens make contributions that enrich and strengthen our society and our democracy. For our part, it’s really important that we are here today to welcome you. We want you here and we need you here as new citizens. You belong here, and this country would not be what it is without people like you who have chosen to live here, chosen to raise your families here, and chosen to work here.”
Before swearing them in, Judge Robertson read list of participants’ native countries. “These are all different countries with different and rich cultures,” Judge Robertson said. “The memories of these countries that you have, and of your customs, beliefs, and observations, those are things that you bring to America that will enrich our society.”
At the event were organizations that offer services and help to immigrants, including the Berkshire Immigrant Center. “This ceremony is a celebration of people who have worked a long time to fulfill their dreams of being an American citizen,” said Berkshire Immigrant Center Executive Director Melissa Canavan. “Our center has been very fortunate to provide our services at an affordable cost. We are there to assist immigrants coming to this country with their legal needs, and also to provide citizenship preparation classes for those who are ready for citizenship.”
On display and overlooking the ceremony were many classic Norman Rockwell paintings, including Rockwell’s 1961 painting “Golden Rule.”
Norman Rockwell Museum Director and CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt, who spoke during the ceremony made note of the fact that the ceremony was in a museum filled with many Rockwell paintings of American life. “We’re surrounded by these artworks and [Rockwell’s] beliefs in social justice, freedom, democracy, and community,” Moffatt said. “These pieces of art are all distinctively American. Rockwell’s images portrayed desires common to all cultures and all peoples. This is so eloquently expressed in his ‘Golden Rule’ painting. There is a desire to care for and provide for our children, to laugh and to love, to work hard and to play, to be safe and live freely, to be a friend and to have friends, to care for our fellow citizens, and to build caring communities.”
