Guest Column: Celebrating My First Year As An American
One year ago I wrote about my experience becoming an American citizen. Yesterday, I celebrated my first anniversary as an American. When I became a citizen, I felt that I now "belonged." I felt that I had made a commitment to this country. I felt that I had a responsibility to be a participant in the political process and an active member of my community.
Now, a year later, I am wondering if becoming a citizen really made any difference in my life. The answer is a resounding: "Yes!" For the first time, I was able to exercise my right to vote, and I am looking forward to doing so again every time there is an election. This has been an interesting year politically both at the state and national level. I think it is very important to be an informed citizen, because everything the government does affects our lives in some way.
At times, like most people, I get wrapped up in my own personal life. I worry about family, work, and making ends meet in this economy. One benefit of becoming a citizen removed a major concern for me (and, I'm sure, for many other immigrants) -- I am now able to visit my parents in Ireland without having to worry about "green card" hassles, like residency requirements and amount of time spent outside the country. I can now come and go from America freely, like any other citizen, and can visit my parents for as long as I like. While taking time off work is still a worry, at least I know I now won't have any problems getting back into America, as I now have an American passport.
Immigration is an important issue to many, as we will see by the participation in tomorrow's march in Washington, D.C. I hope that President Obama will begin work on comprehensive immigration reform soon, now that it looks likely that Congress is about to pass healthcare reform.
I want to be proud of America, so I hope that the current government will hold to the ideals in the Preamble to the Constitution. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is not just for those born in America, but for all human beings everywhere on this planet.
America has been struggling with these issues for a long time. President Obama has continued some of the terrible practices that came to light under the Bush administration, such as rendition, torture, and imprisonment without trial. And not just suspected terrorists, either. Suspected illegal immigrants are put in holding centers for years without proper due process, including children. This is not right, and I am upset that my country does things like this. My own personal solution was to become a citizen, with the hope that by using my vote I might make a difference.
It is very frustrating to me that many Americans (both native and naturalized) neither vote nor take an interest in how this country is run. I was inspired by Barack Obama's election, and the youth of America who seemed to awake to the power of the vote. I only hope that this past year of political deadlock has not soured them from participating in the process in the future.
Becoming an American citizen was something I should have done years ago, and I am looking forward to celebrating many more anniversaries in the years to come. If you are not "in it" you can't "win it" and create change. How can we hope to improve the quality of life for everyone if we don't try to change how these things are done? My hope is that all legal immigrants will realize how important it is to have and use their own vote, and will make the decision to become American citizens today.
-- Mrs. Chris Weigant
