'I feel like I belong here': Naturalization ceremony returns to Andrew Jackson's Hermitage
Forty people on Monday morning became United States citizens at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. People like Simone Souza of Mt. Juliet.
“It is our home now,” Souza, 49, said after the citizenship ceremony.
The event marked the Middle District of Tennessee's first in-person naturalization ceremony since the COVID-19 pandemic. Ceremonies have been held virtually.
Souza arrived in Middle Tennessee eight years ago because of a job transfer with Bridgestone Tires from Brazil. And now, Souza will enjoy the right to vote, helping to shape government on all levels.
Souza celebrated the moment alongside her daughter, Miriana, 25.
“Being part of the decision-making process as part of the family.”
The Middle District of Tennessee held the ceremony on a new picture-perfect day: on the front lawn of the home of a former U.S. president, himself an orphan and son of Scots-Irish immigrants.
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“I feel like I belong here from today,” said Nashville’s Kimberly Bu, 28, who came from China in 2014 with her mother because of a job. Bu, with boyfriend Jonathan Martin, acknowledged feeling like a foreigner leading up to her citizenship.
No more.
“What I love about this country is that you get so much love, respect, honor and that makes me feel proud to be a United States citizen,” said Mahi Chakraborty, 36, who moved to India at age 10 before arriving in America six years ago.
Chakraborty talked about the path set by her mother-in-law, Dr. Indrani Ojha, who traveled from India to Nashville in 1998 with $200 and two suitcases to work at Vanderbilt University. Ojha stayed and brought her husband and son, Dr. Neel Ojhi, who is married to Chakraborty.
“We are Americans because our citizenship is grounded on a foundation of shared ideas brought from many countries, many races and many cultures,” Chief District Court Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr., said to the region’s newest citizens.
The judge also quoted Andrew Jackson: ''Americans are not a perfect people. But we are called to a perfect mission.'" The judge continued his address to those taking the oath. "Our perfect mission is based upon our shared fundamental beliefs ... The Oath of Allegiance that we all just took is really a promise to uphold those beliefs."
Crenshaw emphasized responsibilities that come with citizenship, including voting and jury duty.
“I want to vote, I want to express myself,” said new citizen Marie Gmonvil, 49, of Smyrna by way of Haiti. Gmonvil came in 2007 to marry her husband, Jean Paul, also from Haiti, who was already living in the U.S.
Weekly courtroom ceremonies held before COVID-19 often drew 60 people. Andrew Jackson's Hermitage has held naturalization ceremonies before, the last in September 2018.
There were 4,456 naturalized in 2019 before COVID-19. That dropped to 932 in 2020 and 431 in 2021. So far this year, there have been 538, according to the Middle District of Tennessee.
The process for non-citizens can start five years from being issued a green card, or three years if married to an American citizen. The citizenship process includes a language test that shows proficiency to read, write and speak English and a civics test with questions on American government and history.
Resources are available through the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Andrew Jackson's Hermitage: 40 people gain U.S. citizenship
