Fourth grader Grace casting her vote |
Earlier this week, I cast my first ever vote
for President of the United States. In January
2011, after twenty years as a permanent resident of the U.S., I became a
citizen of this great country. This was
not a decision I took lightly. It was not an easy thing to turn my back on the
United Kingdom, where I had grown up, received a college degree, and where my
family still lives.
However, influencing my decision more than
perhaps any other factor was the importance of my right to vote. As a nineteen
year old at the University of York in the U.K., I voted in a general election
for the first time. For a few years
after I moved to Colorado, I voted in British elections from afar, but there
seemed something disingenuous about having a say in a place where I neither
lived nor paid taxes.
Finally, after far too long, and after acing
the citizenship test that twenty years of teaching fifth grade American history
had so graciously prepared me for, I found myself in the suburban offices of the
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Centennial, Colorado. In a meaningful and surprisingly emotional
ceremony, I stood up with seventy five brand new Americans of every stripe,
from thirty six different countries, and swore allegiance to this country. One of the vows I promised to myself was
never to miss out on the right and the privilege to vote.
It is perhaps the most important act that we
can perform as a citizen.
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Citizenship Day - January 26, 2011 |
When our Friends’ elementary
students took to their own polls in our library on Election Day, our teachers,
led by librarian deana harragarra waters, urged them to show respect for each
other and for divergent viewpoints.
In a note I received from one of
our parents, “it is imperative that we
show our children how many things connect us rather than the things that
separate us. To show the children that respect for each other is more
important than the issues that we think divide us. In a nutshell, we as a
school must seek to be the change we want to see in the world.”
I couldn’t agree more. Those are
among our values here at Friends’. It is
part of our mission: “Our students acquire a strong academic foundation while
developing creative expression, social responsibility, and respect for
diversity and the individual”.
It’s what I signed up for when I
arrived at Friends’ School and when I raised my right hand and took the oath of
citizenship.
It’s good to be here. It’s good to have a voice.
1 comment:
I grew up knowing that the right to vote is so important. This post brought back a memory for me.
It was not often that presidential candidates visited Green Bay, Wisconsin when I grew up. So when they did, my mom packed us all into the car to go to the rallies. In 1984, I remember going to see Mondale and Ferraro give exciting speeches. We then headed to Kroll’s, next to Lambeau field, to enjoy a butter burger and fried cheese curds with the candidates. This one event sparked my interest in politics that led to many hours of volunteering.
So exciting to see all of the students involved in the process! I wonder what memories Friends’ School just created…
Thanks for the story Steve!
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