Zuyu Nu, right, from China and serving with the U.S. Navy, takes the oath of citizenship during a naturalization ceremony at the Statue of Liberty, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 in New York. One hundred twenty five people took the oath of citizenship to mark the Statues's 125th anniversary. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Zuyu Nu, right, from China and serving with the U.S. Navy, takes the oath of citizenship during a naturalization ceremony at the Statue of Liberty, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 in New York. One hundred twenty five people took the oath of citizenship to mark the Statues's 125th anniversary. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
An unidentified man takes the oath of citizenship during a naturalization ceremony at the Statue of Liberty, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 in New York. The oath of citizenship was taken by 125 people, to mark the Statues's 125th anniversary. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
An unidentified woman uses an American flag to shield her eyes from the sun during a naturalization ceremony at the Statue of Liberty, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011in New York. The oath of citizenship was taken by 125 people, to mark the Statues's 125th anniversary. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Members of the Veteran Corps of Artillery of New York attend a ceremony at the Statue of Liberty to mark her 125th anniversary, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Anatoliy Gryschenko of Ukraine poses for photographers in front of the Statue of Liberty as he arrives for a naturalization ceremony at the Statue, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in New York. The oath of citizenship was taken by 125 people, to mark the Statues's 125th anniversary. Gryschenko is a corpsman with the U.S. Coast Guard. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Scores of immigrants waved tiny flags after taking the oath of U.S. citizenship at the foot of the Statue of Liberty on Friday, 125 years after the beacon welcoming visitors and immigrants was dedicated.
"We are a nation of diverse people," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said during the naturalization ceremony on Liberty Island. "And that diversity strengthens our nation."
The new Americans, 125 immigrants from 46 countries, pledged to renounce foreign power, then posed for photos with their citizenship certificates.
"I feel like if you live in a place, you should have a say in the politics," said Paul Currie, who moved to the U.S. from South Africa eight years ago. "Otherwise, you're an outsider."
Silvia Hodges, who came to the U.S. from Germany in 1999, said the ceremony made her feel "like I belong here ? and I really want to vote."
The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, was conceived to symbolize the friendship between the two countries and a shared love of liberty. President Glover Cleveland dedicated the statue on Oct. 28, 1886.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "If anybody around this world wants to pick up their family and move so that their family can have freedom ? freedom to speak, freedom to be in charge of their own destiny, all the freedoms that we have incorporated into the Bill of Rights ? they always come to America."
Actress Sigourney Weaver recited Emma Lazarus' "The New Colossus" and gestured to the statue behind her at the words "a mighty woman with a torch."
Cleveland's grandson attended the event and received a plaque from the National Park Service.
The 59-year-old George Cleveland said his grandfather was prescient when he said that "a stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man's oppression, until liberty enlightens the world."
"We are still a work in progress," George Cleveland said.
Then, with a 3-2-1 countdown, webcams streaming views from the statue's torch were switched on. The cameras offer panoramas of the New York skyline, the Hudson River and Liberty Island.
"It's really a wonderful way from people from around the world to connect with Lady Liberty using today's technology," said David Luchsinger, the superintendent of the statue and Ellis Island.
The birthday party would conclude later Friday with a 12-minute fireworks display choreographed to patriotic music.
On Saturday, the statue's interior will be closed for renovations for about a year, though Liberty Island will remain open.
Vacationers Benoit and Veronique Poullain of Rouen, France, were happy to see the statue on her 125th anniversary. Veronique said it was "like New York, big!" She said the French are "very happy to have contributed this symbol."
___
Online: www.earthcam.com/statueofliberty
Associated Pressdetroit tigers anita hill major league major league mlk memorial mlk memorial alicia sacramone
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.