September 17th is Citizenship Day! We’re celebrating with thirty candidates who will become citizens of the United States in a naturalization ceremony at Hartford City Hall. We’re also celebrating National Welcoming Week (Sept 15-22), a week where we all highlight the contributions made in our communities by immigrants.
All are welcome to attend the ceremony and witness this momentous occasion, from 11:45 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on September 17th in the Atrium of Hartford City Hall, 550 Main Street.
Citizenship Ceremony at HPL, April 2013
Music and remarks will be part of the agenda as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services presents 30 candidates for U.S. citizenship. The Honorable Donna F. Martinez, United States Magistrate Judge, will administer the Oath of Allegiance to America’s newest citizens, who hail from many countries.
HPL CEO Matthew K. Poland will provide the Naturalization Ceremony’s opening remarks, while keynote remarks will be made by the Honorable Pedro Segarra, Mayor of Hartford.
Special elements of the September 17 ceremony also will include a presentation of the nation’s colors by the First Company Governor’s Foot Guard; students of the Library’s citizenship education program leading the Pledge of Allegiance; and performances by Tom Rotchford and The Mariachi Band / Los Tovardores de America.
For further information please contact naficy@hplct.org Phone: 860-695-6334
This summer our ESL/Citizenship classes took another trip, this time to Boston, MA. Here we explored the Freedom Trail, USS Constitution, and Quincy Market. We took a guided walking tour along the Freedom Trail. We saw the Old South Meeting House, Old State House and the site of the Boston Massacre. We also explored the USS Constitution. The USS Constitution is the world’s oldest naval vessel afloat. Students were in awe to see this. For many, it was their first time being on a ship like this. They did not realize these ships still existed. It was truly a new experience for them. At Quincy Market the students were met with the sights, sounds and scents of Boston. Food, shops and street performers were all around. Our students grabbed some food and watched the entertainment of street performers while we waited for our tour to begin. At the very end of our outing mother nature decided it was time for a downpour. Despite the rain, the students had an amazing time, enjoyed every minute and were very grateful.
This August marked this blog’s 1 year anniversary. Hooray! In July there is an ESL/Citizenship class trip to the 9/11 Memorial and the Museum of Native American History. That is where we began last year and where I begin today. As I noted last year, for some students, this was their first time in NYC. The shock and awe at seeing “the Big Apple” in person for the first time is truly a sight to see. Some of our students were repeat visitors from last years trip. For those students, they noticed the changes that had taken place at the memorial over the last year. The Freedom Tower which was still under construction last year was completed this year. It is still not open but the major construction on the exterior of the building is done. They felt more confident when walking 
throughout the city. It was a bolstering hot July day and this group of 45 people had a great day exploring NYC and learning about the rich history and culture of America.
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| The Bharatis with seed packets in hand |
Nimrah, the second oldest is next to talk to me. Like her older brother, she too feels prepared and like him, she has struggled with some of the Constitution questions. I admit to her that they’re not so easy. The two older children did not benefit from going to high school in America so, unlike their younger siblings who went to high school here, the
subject of American government is not as familiar. Despite this, the family has remained close through this process, helping each other to stud, attending citizenship classes at the library together on Saturdays, and quizzing each other relentlessly.
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Nailah, the matriarch of the family, has walked a long road to arrive to today. Knowing her English skills were not at the level of the rest of her family, she began attending English classes at the library earlier in the year. She also connected with April, a Cultural Navigator at the library. Cultural Navigators can help new immigrants learn to adjust into American culture, gain access to city services, or in Nailah’s case, offer English literacy support. I ask her how she has liked working with April and she smiles, telling me that April has been very helpful to her and that she enjoys their relationship very much; she wants to continue working with her on her literacy skills. Nailah has been working persistently with April on the reading and writing section of the citizenship test, an area she felt would be the most difficult for her. In addition to her work with April, her devoted children have drilled her endlessly, giving her advice on how to handle questions. Mumiza explains, “I tell her ‘just don’t rush, listen to the key points’, and I remind her be careful and to make sure she understands the question before answering.” Her children are all committed to making sure their mother passes along with them. I love this about them.
The Misbahs have worked hard since arriving her from Karachi, Pakistan in 2008. They were all formally educated in their native country, and the children studied English so they all had a basic language foundation when they arrived here however not enough to not need English classes when they got here. The younger siblings enrolled in the public system and have only a slight hint of an accent as they arrived here at a younger age. The older siblings enrolled in more intensive ESL classes at Capital Community College to study English.
Jasmine Cardi
I am so excited to share that our student from the January 2013 post Encouragement has earned her citizenship! She studied hard each day for 60 days and went back in and passed her interview! We are all so proud of her. After her ceremony she came to the library and shared her experiences with her classmates. In this photo our student (center) is with the judge (to the right) who presided over her ceremony and Sangeeta (to the left) one of our interns who helped her study countless hours and attended the ceremony with her. This is truly an inspiring story of what hard work and perseverance will do regardless of age, race or other obstacles that one may face. Hers is a story of hope and of hard work paying off. Congratulations!
Jasmine Cardi
Each day I am faced with many rewarding experiences at my job. Sometimes I am faced with sad experiences. Today was one of those days. One of our students who had been studying so hard for her citizenship interview and test failed the speaking portion of the interview. This woman has attended every class, met with tutors, and has studied at home diligently. She knows the answer to all 100 questions. She can read and write in English with proficiency. Her trouble is with speaking English. She is an older Albanian woman who needs to learn English as part of her citizenship requirements. Like so many her story is one of loss. She was widowed years ago and is here with only her sister. She is one of the sweetest women you will ever meet. Humble and thankful for all of our help she greets us daily with a big hug and a piece of candy or chocolate. For the holidays she knit us all a scarf.
Her interview was yesterday. She came to study with us two hours before her appointed time. Although we were concerned with her speaking skills we encouraged her to do her best and not be too nervous. We patiently awaited to hear back how her experience went. She came in to see us today and tells us, “Thank you, I passed everything except the speaking.” Immediately she tears up and I give her a hug. She then sees my coworker, Jennifer, and shares the news with her. She starts crying and Jennifer hugs her and says, “I am so proud of you. You passed the questions, the writing and the reading. We will continue to help you with the English conversation.” She continued to give her encouragement and more importantly acknowledgement of what she had accomplished. I felt as if I were witnessing a private moment and almost felt like stepping away, but then I decided to snap a quick picture and share her story. She has 60 days to improve her English conversation and will have another chance at passing the proficiency level needed to obtain citizenship.
Judy Wyman Kelly
Last Tuesday morning, a group of the library’s adult English language students went for a tour of the majestic Hartford City Hall, located just across the street. The place is amazing!
But more importantly, we had a chance to find out what City Hall does for Hartford residents, such as providing birth, marriage, and death certificates, property deeds, and voter registration cards. City Hall is also home to the Mayor’s office and is the place where city laws are passed by the city council. We had a chance to visit these rooms and even sit in the city council chairs! Hartford residents are welcomed to go to the Mayor’s office with any questions or needs, and to attend city council meetings on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7pm.
Jasmine Cardi
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| Me trying to catch a snowflake |
Sometimes, we perform random acts of kindness without even knowing it. You don’t know if the person you are helping has had a horrible day and your smile, patience or help can be either the breaking or salvation point of their day. If I had to come up with a statement that describes my personal ethic (not just my work ethic) it would be: treat others as you’d like to be treated. This is a pretty simple concept. We learn this early on in life. It is so easy to forget this sometimes. Today I was reminded of this very statement. I am going to share my experience with one of our citizenship class students, Maria, who recently became a naturalized citizen. Maria came into the library today even though she is done taking classes with us. She has learned English and recently became a U.S. citizen. I helped her throughout the process, giving her information, setting her up with classes, tutors, asking how she was doing, and checking on the health of her husband who was very ill. Most of all I gave her encouragement. She was very nervous to practice her English and to take her test. She greets me today with a big hug and a thank you card. She tells me, “Thank you Jasmine for all of your help. I am so grateful. You have no idea how much your help meant to me. Last week while at church when the Father asked if we’d like to pray for someone I said I want to pray for Jasmine. I told them you were not sick and did not need anything. I just wanted to pray for you because of your kindness in helping me and in helping others. I see how you help everyone who comes here and for that I am grateful. Even though I am done with classes I know you are here and if I need anything I know where to find you.” Beyond humbled and teary eyed I gave her a hug and said thank you. It is very rare when I am left speechless. I almost did not share this story as I don’t want to “toot my own horn.” After thinking about this hours later I felt it was a good story to share because far too often we hear either what we are doing wrong or nothing at all. I’d like this story to inspire others to simply treat others as you’d like to be treated. We never know when the roles will be reversed and it is us on the opposite end.