I had the great good fortune to be invited to speak to 66 new Americans, at the INS ceremony hosted by Yarmouth High School’s Civil Rights Team. Why I was asked was an alphabetical coincidence of minor importance (listen and find out). It was such a great feeling to welcome these new Americans from so many countries, AND to have my mother in the audience. We missed each other’s ceremonies.
My friend Arnie filmed this (surprising me!). Here it is: https://youtu.be/n3cWK5mKm6U
The end cuts off.
Here’s what I said in the last moments: But something I didn’t realize until I read a book recently, is that the Statue of Liberty is not standing there, like some kind of statue.
Her right foot is in motion, the heel is raised up.
She is walking. Her foot is in mid-stride.
The author of the book I read, Dave Eggars, makes the point that she is walking because she still has work to do.
To quote him:
If the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom, if the Statue of Liberty has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States, how then how can she stand still?
Liberty and freedom from oppression are not things you get or grant by standing around.
They require action. Courage. An unwillingness to rest.
The Statue of Liberty, like many of us in this room today, is also an immigrant. She did, after all, come from France. She welcomes us all to this nation. She is not at rest.
The United States of America’s story is about all of us. It’s one we are still writing.
And that’s what makes us so strong. Let’s listen to each others’ stories.
This is a conversation called The United States of America.Welcome. We are so glad you are here.