A Shining City Upon A Hill
Independence Day, 2024
On the Fourth of July this year, I decided to begin my hectic day by attending a Naturalization Ceremony on the historic grounds of Strawbery Banke Museum. It was an amazingly patriotic way to start Independence Day and included my witnessing 99 new Americans from 41 different nations renounce their prior loyalties and take an oath of allegiance to the United States.
The ceremony included comments from Chief Judge of the United States District Court Landya McCafferty who noted that the new citizens now shared a special bond with their fellow Americans: “Together we stand as one people, defined not by blood..or race…or tribe…or wealthy, but by the fact of citizenship.”
The new Americans received a standing ovation from those of us in attendance after they took their oath to the United States:
Oath of Renunciation and Allegiance
I hereby declare, on oath,
that I absolutely and entirely
renounce and abjure
all allegiance and fidelity
to any foreign prince,
potentate, state, or sovereignty,
of whom or which
I have heretofore
been a subject or citizen.
That I will support and defend
the Constitution and Laws
of the United States of America
against all enemies,
foreign and domestic;
that I will bear true faith and allegiance
to the same;
that I will bear arms
on behalf of the United States
when required by the law;
that I will perform noncombatant service
in the Armed Forces of the United States
when required by the law;
that I will perform work
of national importance under civilian direction
when required by the law;
and that I take this obligation freely,
without any mental reservation
or purpose of evasion;
So help me God.
As the below video shows, there were many amazing stories. One soldier, who had been serving in the US armed forces, was filled with joy to be a citizen of the country he was helping protect. Some were originally from faraway places like Pakistan, China, or Ukraine, while others had forsaken loyalty to the United Kingdom or Canada to become Americans. All were proud to be American.
Prior to the ceremony, I had taken a seat next to a friendly man who had two young children with him, both of whom were eagerly waving American flags. I learned they were his grandkids, and they were here to watch their father (the man’s son-in-law) become an American. The two adorable kids were beyond proud of their father that they simply couldn’t help themselves and had to point him out to me…so I went up to speak with him.
His name is Abiola Ajaka and he is from Nigeria. After chatting with him for a bit, I was inspired to give him the flag pin I had on my blazer, and thanked him for sharing a bit of his special day with me. I happen to have been sitting with his family near the WMUR cameraman, and so when they called out “Nigeria” during the Call of Countries, he turned around and waved at his family on camera. (See the 0:18 mark on the video above).
The whole experience inspired me to go back to Ronald Reagan’s January 1989 Farewell Address, in which he describes the shining city on a hill he had referenced throughout his political life:
…in my mind, it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind swept, God blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace - a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors…
Attending the ceremony and meeting dedicated individuals who want to make their lives in the same land of opportunity that drew my parents here was a moving experience. I was thrilled to meet a few and was inspired by their stories.
In this fragile time of political polarization and rapidly escalating tribalism, I’d like to leave you with one suggestion: Try to attend a Naturalization Ceremony sometime soon. It was exciting, inspiring, and humbling all at once and reminded me, and maybe others, that despite our many differences as Americans, we have a lot in common.
VIKRAM MANSHARAMANI is an entrepreneur, consultant, scholar, neighbor, husband, father, volunteer, and professional generalist who thinks in multiple-dimensions and looks beyond the short-term. Self-taught to think around corners and connect original dots, he spends his time speaking with global leaders in business, government, academia, and journalism. LinkedIn has twice listed him as its #1 Top Voice in Money & Finance, and Worth profiled him as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Finance. Vikram earned a PhD From MIT, has taught at Yale and Harvard, and is the author of three books, The Making of a Generalist: An Independent Thinker Finds Unconventional Success in an Uncertain World, Think for Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence and Boombustology: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst. Vikram lives in Lincoln, New Hampshire with his wife and two children, where they can usually be found hiking or skiing.