The Oath of Citizenship is performed Monday morning at the Stiefel Theatre as over 100 people participated in naturalization procedings. (photo by Tom Dorsey / Salina Journal) | Buy Journal Photos
‘I am so proud’
10/18/2011
By GARY DEMUTH Salina Journal
Youssef Sarikh has dreamed of becoming an American citizen since he moved here from Morocco five years ago.
Now he’s married to an American woman and, in another month, will welcome a daughter into the world — an American-born girl.
"My wife and her parents are my family," said Sarikh, who works in Salina as a computer technician. "They mean everything to me. That’s why it means a lot to me to become an American citizen."
Sarikh, supported by his American family, joined 104 other foreign-born immigrants from 43 different countries Monday to be sworn in as new U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe.
Those sitting in the historic theater came from Mexico, Vietnam, Kenya, China, Brazil, Finland, Honduras, the Philippines, Indonesia, Palestine, El Salvador, Germany, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, South Korea, Iran and Iraq, among many other countries from around the globe.
Some live in Salina, while others traveled here from around the state to take the most important oath of their lives.
It is a special day
Among those waiting to raise their right hands and swear their allegiance to the U.S. was a computer technician, hospital worker, engineer, priest, landscaper, cashier, factory worker, school lunchroom worker, heavy machine operator, construction worker, hair stylist, graduate student and Kansas State University professor.
"Today is a special day for me, and I am so proud," said Ismael Garcia, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico 20 years ago and now works at Tony’s Pizza in Salina. "To be able to say my fidelity to the country means a lot to me. This country has helped me and my family a lot."
To celebrate the 150th birthday of Kansas and 150th anniversary of the U.S. District Court for Kansas, the court scheduled special naturalization ceremonies in locations where it previously has had proceedings.
Salina is the last stop for ceremonies, with others already conducted at Dodge City, Fort Scott, Hutchinson, Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Topeka and Wichita.
Presiding at the Salina ceremony was U.S. District Judge John W. Lungstrum. Addressing the new citizens was Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss. Both men are former Salina residents.
"Although I now sit in Kansas City, my family lived in Salina a number of years, so I’m particularly pleased to be here today," Lungstrum told the packed auditorium.
After a welcome by Salina City Commissioner Kaye Crawford and a rendition of "America the Beautiful" by the Salina Central High School Choir, clerk of court Timothy O’Brien introduced each U.S. citizen-to-be, who stood and announced their country of origin.
Congratulations, citizens
Once introductions were completed, all 105 stood and took the Oath of Allegiance to the U.S.
"I would like to be the first to congratulate you as new citizens of the United States," Lungstrum said after completion of the oath. "We salute you and we wish you well."
After naturalization, foreign-born citizens are given the same benefits, rights and responsibilities the U.S. Constitution gives native-born citizens, including the right to vote.
For Rihad Mohammed, a Wichita homemaker who moved to the U.S. from Iraq "five years and eight months ago," becoming a U.S. citizen was the culmination of a longtime dream.
"It was a special time for me," she said after the ceremony. "Everything in the U.S. is freedom to me."
Nuss speaks in German
Nuss began his remarks by speaking in German, which he then told the crowd was his wife’s native country.
"She was born and raised in Germany and was a German citizen for more than 20 years," he said. "She came to America not speaking a word of English. She learned English by watching American television. In 1977, she came to a ceremony much like this one today. That day, like you today, she became an American citizen."
Nuss said that as new American citizens, they have the opportunity to enrich the lives of others for the greater good of the country.
"You can share courage, skills, perspectives and your foods, and, of course, share your dreams," he said. "You can help us become an even greater country."
German-born Christine Radeke, a business manager in Manhattan, said Nuss gave a wonderful speech — and his German wasn’t bad, either.
Radeke has been living in the U.S. for 21 years and said citizenship was something she’d been pondering for a long time.
"It’s good timing to have it on the 150th anniversary of the state," she said. "I didn’t plan it that way."
After the presentation of colors by cadets from St. John’s Military School in Salina and the singing of the national anthem by the Salina Central choir, the ceremony was adjourned.
At a reception afterward at the theater’s Watson Room, mementos were presented to the new U.S. citizens by local representatives of Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society of Colonial Dames of America and the League of Women Voters.
The U.S. citizen-soldier
Aaron Kavishe, a native of Tanzania who now serves in the U.S. Army Reserves in Wichita, said it was a privilege to now be a U.S. citizen, as well as serve in the Army Reserves.
"I’m giving back what the country has given to me," said Kavishe, who has been in the U.S. nearly 10 years. "The army is a way to show my appreciation, and I’ll probably stay in the military. It’s a proud day for me."
