Summer of Citizenship

There are different ways of gaining U.S. Citizenship.  Many of us are born in the United States.  Citizenship is automatic when you are born in the U.S.  Then there is Naturalization, where an adult spends years in the U.S. as a Lawful Permanent Resident and fulfills all the requirements of naturalization.  That includes learning basic English, passing a civics exam and a thorough background check as well as several other steps and expenses.  Another path is being the minor child of a U.S. citizen.  The minor is born in another country but has at least one parent who is either a natural born U.S. citizen or becomes a naturalized U.S. citizen.  The minor-aged children of those citizens are then eligible to apply for citizenship.

On August 13, in partnership with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Fresno County Public Library hosted a Citizenship Ceremony for 26 of those young new citizens ranging in age from 8 to 18.  The Woodward Park Regional Library was decked out in red, white and blue for the event.

 
 The Library had activities throughout the ceremony to showcase how FCPL is a part of the community.

During registration hour, there were two crafts available.  For our younger guests, we had a construction paper Chinese Lantern craft while our tweens and teens were able to make modge podge tile coasters.  

   

 After USCIS officials opened the ceremony, WoW! Librarian Michelle Gordon offered some welcoming remarks, touching on her experiences working with the immigrant community in Fresno County.  Then two more FCPL librarians showcased their own talents.  Nicole Settle, the county-wide Children’s Programming Librarian, read a story about the U.S. flag.  That was followed by Woodward Park Regional Library’s Youth Librarian, Tiffany Polfer, providing a book talk (think movie trailer but for books) for the tweens and teens in the audience.

 

Tiffany then took all the candidates on a tour of the Woodward Park Regional Library that ended in the children’s room.  There, all 26 candidates took their Oaths of Allegiance, which was administered by the Fresno Field Office’s Supervisory Immigration Services Officer.  After the Oath, everyone said the Pledge of Allegiance and watched a short congratulatory and welcoming video by President Obama.  USCIS then presented the certificates of citizenship to each new citizen.

 

It was a wonderful and special event.  FCPL has made a large effort to offer more comprehensive resources to Fresno’s immigrant community.  We offer Citizenship Corners in numerous branches currently and are expanding those locations monthly.  Another Citizenship Ceremony is scheduled for September 17, 2016 at the Central branch.

Citizenship Corners

Did you know Fresno County is home to tens of thousands of Lawful Permanent Residents who are eligible for Naturalization?  The Fresno County Public Library, in partnership with the Central Valley Networks for Integrating New Americans and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is proud to present its new Citizenship Corners.  

You can find a Citizenship Corner at the following branches: Central, Kerman, Mendota, Orange Cove, Parlier and Selma.

Citizenship Corners are a dedicated library space where New Americans can fill their information needs about becoming a U.S. Citizen as well as find financial self-help information and California AB60 Driver’s License information.

Free-to-take information includes civics test preparation materials, N-400 form and instructions, pamphlets on immigration fraud, USCIS benefits, BIA accredited and recognized organization lists, AB60 information, and financial literacy information.

You’ll need a library card to take home the Citizenship Toolkit, Civics questions flashcards, and vocabulary flashcards.  There are also some handy reference books available to check out.

In addition to the physical locations of the Citizenship Corners, FCPL has also added information on its webpage.

On December 4^th, a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Central branch commemorated the opening of the Citizenship Corners.

 There were representatives from several of the Central Valley Network for Integrating New Americans organizations, including The Maddy Institute, the Fresno Adult School and Mi Familia Vota.  Speakers at the event included Library Manager Susan Mann, USCIS Section Chief Lynn Feldman and CV-NINA representative, from Mi Familia Vota, Samuel Molina.  Also in attendance were representatives from Senator Boxer’s office and County Administrative Officer’s office.

L to R: Lisa Agao, Fresno Adult School; Lynn Feldman, USCIS Section Chief; Samuel Molina, Mi Familia Vota; Lance Tullis, CAO Jean Rousseau’s office; Susan Mann, Fresno County Public Library; Ahmeen Khan, Senator Boxer’s office

WoW! in Washington, D.C.

The view from our meeting room…

Our meeting room – The Indian Treaty Room 

WoW! Librarian Michelle Gordon is Fresno County Public Library’s representative to the Central Valley Network for Integrating New Americans (CV-NINA).  NINA is a technical assistance grant funded by the Department of Education, spearheaded by the White House Task Force on New Americans.  There are five networks nationwide that received this technical assistance grant.  CV-NINA has been involved in numerous community events over the last couple of years.  This past June, CV-NINA organized and held a small Naturalization Oath ceremony at Fresno State.

Arriving outside the EEOB:

On October 29^th and 30^th, the five networks gathered in Washington, DC.  Included in this gathering was a White House Briefing for over 30 federal employees representing multiple agencies including: the Department of Education, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Labor, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Department of Health & Human Services, White House Domestic Policy Council and White House National Economic Council.

Liset Caudillo from Proteus, Michelle Gordon from FCPL, Ana Melendez from The Maddy Institute, Lisa Agao from FAS

Lisa Agao of the Fresno Adult School

Before her flight back to Fresno, Michelle managed to spend a little time at the Library of Congress.  She got her Reader’s Card for the LoC and used it to enter into the main reading room at the library.

The Library of Congress

On Display at the LoC was this letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams where he makes the statement “I cannot live without books…”

In Honor of World Refugee Day: a Special Ceremony for New Americans

Once a month at Valdez Hall, a very important ceremony is held for new Americans: more than 800 people take their Oaths of Allegiance, becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. (Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to non-citizens.)

But on June 20^th, in honor of World Refugee Day, a special naturalization ceremony took place at Fresno State’s Satellite Student Union. The event was the culmination of months of organizing and planning by the Citizenship Academy and partners of the Central Valley Network for Integrating New Americans (CV-NINA). CV-NINA partners include the Maddy Institute of Fresno State, Fresno Adult School, the Fresno County Public Library, Proteus, San Joaquin Valley College of Law and Mi Familia Vota. 

Doors opened at 8 a.m. Before the actual oath ceremony, entertainment was provided by the Polynesian Club of Fresno, the Hmong Cultural Voice Dancers and the CSU Fresno Folklorico. The Boy Scouts of America Troop 35 provided a color guard and a CSU Fresno Brass Quintet played the National Anthem and “America the Beautiful.”

Joining the ceremony were special guests Congressman Jim Costa, Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria, and CSU Fresno Professor Mark Keppler.  Each guest spoke about the importance of being a nation of immigrants and the rights and responsibilities of becoming a U.S. Citizen (vote!).

The Oath of Allegiance was administered by the USCIS Fresno Field Office Director. There is something very moving about the Oath of Allegiance, especially on World Refugee Day when nearly half of our New Citizens were minors.

At the end of the ceremony, new citizens received their Certificates of Naturalization.  Normally, at the large ceremony downtown, this means waiting in line with the other 800 or so new citizens. But for this special ceremony, each person was given individual attention, walking onto the stage to receive the certificate and shaking hands with the distinguished guests—an extremely special moment for the new citizens and their families.

The day was a huge success and would not have been possible without the hard work of Ana Melendez from the Maddy Institute, Lisa Agao of the Fresno Adult School and Michelle Gordon of the Fresno County Public Library, as well as the 40 or so volunteers (from many of CV-NINA’s partners) who helped with all aspects of the ceremony.

The Fresno County Public Library is proud to be a partner in the Central Valley Network for Integrating New Americans. In addition to this partnership, FCPL offers a number of services to support new Americans including citizenship materials and practice civics tests on our Learning Express databases. Call or email us for more information about these services.