Children celebrate new citizenship
Parents from 13 countries, many recently naturalized U.S. citizens, gathered at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland on Monday to see their children become what they had so desperately prayed, traveled and longed for: citizens of the United States.
Madi Ahdo, a U.S. citizen originally from Yemen, reached over for his 8yearold son’s hand, placed it above the boy’s heart and taught him how to pledge allegiance to his new country.
“I’m very happy,” Madi said, his eyes red from tears. “I’m just very happy.”
The boy, Mohamed Ahdo, loves two things, he said:
soccer and America.
“This is fun,” Mohamed said, still gripping his American flag.
The ceremony, held annually for the past three years, is organized by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services San Francisco Field Office.
“This is one of the sweetest, happiest and, thanks to Michael Pritchard, funniest ceremonies we hold each year,” said Sharon Rummery, a Citizenship and Immigration Services public affairs officer.
Pritchard, a comedian known for his work in antibullying programs, told the children that “together, we all can win.”
“Don’t let anybody turn you into a victim,” Pritchard told the children. “Keep your voice, find your voice, live your voice. Speak up and don’t stand by.”
Ahmed Al, a U.S. citizen originally from Iraq, said his 6yearold daughter is too young to understand just how “beautiful,” how “lucky,” it is to live in this country.
“This is really nice,” Al said. “It was a 10year journey to get here.”
Many families, like Al’s, didn’t want to talk about the specifics of that journey; all they knew was the journey ended in Fairyland — their children on stage, their feet resting on goldencolored bleachers, all spellbound by an “American dream,” Al said. Talking about that dream could “ruin the magic,” of the morning ceremony, he added.
“Yes, there’s so much bad stuff; today I want to focus on this,” he said, pointing at his family.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was at the ceremony shaking each child’s hand as they awkwardly climbed onto a stage that, for some, was chesthigh.
“You have given us a gift. A valuable, valuable gift, and that is the richness that comes when we celebrate all cultures,” Schaaf said.
Schaaf, who has repeatedly clashed with President Trump on issues pertaining to immigration, said the United States is a country “that was built by immigrants,” adding that Oakland welcomes “the incredible diversity of cultures.”
The 26 children, ages 2 to 13 years, lined up on stage as their parents cheered.
Lucas Buenocamara, 10, was wearing his lucky pair of black polkadot socks for the ceremony. He said he feels “different.” He was born in Mexico, but he’s been in the U.S. since he was 5, he said, adding that five years is the amount of time he’s been a Real Madrid soccer fan.
His favorite parts about living in the Bay Area are the weather, the air, surfing and how “everything is so blue.”
“I have a new country,” Lucas said. “It feels, almost, like home.”
The best moment in the ceremony, he said, was seeing everyone wave the U.S. flag after singing the national anthem. It was kind of like when he sees Real Madrid play on television and the crowd waves their banners to show their support, he said.
A couple of rows down from Lucas’ family was Adel Guernas, father of Yanni, 13, and Sami, 9 — two new citizens of the United States.
The Guernas family, from Algeria, said they were excited to see their youngest son, Sami, recite the Pledge of Allegiance in front of everyone. They laughed about how he looked more nervous now talking to a reporter than he did when he was on stage.
Yanni, already close to being the tallest in the family, immediately answered why being a citizen means so much to him and his family.
“The freedom. You can go wherever you want, you can say whatever you want because there’s laws,” Yanni said. “I can finally tell my friends that I’m an American.” Eduardo Medina is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eduardo.medina@ sfchronicle.com Twitter: @byEduardoMedina
“This is really nice. It was a 10year journey to get here.” Ahmed Al, a U.S. citizen originally from Iraq