Tuesday, July 03, 2001
My Independence Days
Originally published by Salon.com, 07/03/01
Here we celebrate the Fourth of July. For this writer, everything that the dream called America represents can also be found in two personal “independence days.”
The first is January 21, 1971. It was the day an eight-year-old boy first landed in the United States at JFK International Airport. At the time, U.S. hospitals were experiencing a nursing shortage, so the boy’s mother responded to an inquiry from New York City’s Mt. Sinai Hospital. The boy wasn’t happy about leaving his island home. It was only later that the lesson of taking advantage of an opportunity when presented sunk in. Fortunately, a volatile case of air-sickness endured by the young boy on the flight over did not prove to be a portent for future experience in the United States.
Living in a country for close to three decades, there are any number of days and experiences that might stick out that also symbolize America. But this writer selects November 3, 1989....the swearing-in ceremony [for my citizenship]. The event itself was rather low-key; ultimately, it seemed somewhat prosaic. The poetry was supplied moments later as the new American emerged into a crisp Maryland morning and looked up in the sky. There, fully unfurled over a government building, was Old Glory flapping in the wind. Couldn’t have been more perfect if Spielberg had directed it.
Many people consider the passage of the first 18 years as the initial step from childhood into adulthood. This particular 18-year passage marked a period separating arrival and “Americanization.” Other opportunities followed. Less than three years later, a few of the writer’s words ended up in the last speech Ronald Reagan delivered at a Republican Convention. Just a short phrase, but for a young island immigrant, it was certainly a thrilling, awe-inspiring moment. And then, a few years after that, the immigrant found himself writing for the first Republican Speaker of the House in 40 years.
As we celebrate the nation’s birth, it’s not a bad idea to pause and consider our own personal “independence days.” These are the moments in our lives that stand out as uniquely American. At one time, for many, it was the Ellis Island arrival. For others, it’s starting a business, beginning the novel or casting the first vote. These are the days that connect each of us intimately with the opportunity that is America. The personal is the universal here. Each individual experience is a chapter in the larger drama called the American Story. The opportunity to excel within the story is the connection we all share, regardless of race, gender, or any other superficial attribute.
