Naturalization, With An Artistic Twist

On Friday just before noon, longtime New Havener Allison Parkes scored the hottest ticket at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas: A first-ever naturalization ceremony on the sun-soaked New Haven Green, where she and 25 other immigrants, representing 19 countries, became U.S. citizens.

For the now-naturalized citizen from Jamaica, a mother of two who takes care of her mother and works in food service at Yale-New Haven Hospital, that’s reason to celebrate. It’s been a year of submitting and resubmitting grueling paperwork after having lived in the city for years, she said, and she’s happy to have it behind her. 

“It means a great new start for me and for my family,” she said after the ceremony, buttoning her Y‑NHH smock before returning to work. ​“I’m looking to do great things for me and for my family, looking for great things to happen.”

It wasn’t one of the show-stopping affairs, social commentaries, or experimental pieces that have defined this year’s festival. But for A&I Director Mary Lou Aleskie and U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton, who officiated with Immigration Officer Maribel Merengueli-Wright, the intimate ceremony was exactly what the spirit of the festival — and the city in which it takes place — are all about.

“As a major festival of international performing arts and public humanities, it is central to our work to consider how we welcome people,” said Aleskie, addressing attendees from Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burma, Canada, China, Colombia, Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Peru, Romania, South Korea and Vietnam who had gathered in Arts & Ideas’ stageside tent. As she spoke, friends and family looked on, smiling and waving tiny American flags.

“Creating an atmosphere that celebrates differences and removes real and perceived barriers is fundamental to the success of this Festival. Everyone is welcome. Everyone is treated with dignity. And much like our country, our differences make us stronger.

“President Barack Obama once said about the American people: ‘What binds us together is greater than what drives us apart.’ And it is also true of the arts. So it seems fitting that alongside the 200-plus performances of music, dance, theater and talks from around the world, that this naturalization ceremony will contribute to our nation the culture and creativity of 19 distinctly different countries and traditions through the 26 of you, who enrich our state with your citizenship ... This is the country we love. This is where we find welcome. This is where we call home.”

Arterton widened Aleskie’s theme, urging the 26 to get involved in their community through leadership and action, arts-related or political. With citizenship came great responsibility, she warned — but also the potential for great joy. 

“Democracy is something we do, it’s not just something we have,” she said, giving a nod to heated immigration debates as she took the stage. ​“We all must share in the work to address our problems,” she continued. ​“To address the issues we face, to resolve our controversies and to give thoughtful direction to our leaders, and not to be swayed by rhetoric that lacks any substance. We can’t just think of ourselves as exceptional. We must be exceptionally good.

“You can now vote. Please, immediately, register to vote at your city and town halls, and then vote to exercise your right to choose the people who will best govern and in your view will best deal with our problems. November is a presidential election, making this vote that you now have even more important. You can hold public office. Please become a part of your communities at whatever level, and be active in recognizing problems and in shaping their solutions.” 

Before finishing, she added a final thought, her face softening as she looked into a sea of faces.

“Please never turn your backs on your heritage and your culture,” she said. ​“Keep it alive here. Share it with your children and your grandchildren like a family heirloom, share it with your new neighbors and friends, so we can all be broadened and enriched. Keep it alive here in the United States n a way of honoring family and friends you may have left behind. The immigrant path to life in America is just paved with the relics of other cultures … by having your celebrations, your colors and your traditions, by you sharing those with your fellow Americans, we are all able to learn and practice that illusive quality that underlies a democracy: Tolerance for each other’s differences. We must always honor and celebrate diversity. We must never let it divide us.”

As if on cue, the crowd stood, 26 small American flags flapping in the June breeze, to turn toward the stage where Echo Uganda was playing the National Anthem as the beginning of their midday set. Families lifted small children up to see the group. A few couples locked hands and squeezed them together tight. Smiles abounded.