As an attorney, I am a member of our local and state bar associations. It's not required but why wouldn't I join? I get discounts on continuing legal education (snore) and we have fun things like law prom and....open bars at the functions! However, as a member, besides taking advantage of free drinks and fancy events, I do participate in something I greatly enjoy. After taking the bar and before I found a job, I volunteered at the humane society (shocking) and a refugee relocation agency (RRA). At the RRA, I tutored refugees in English. These individuals came from all parts of the world with shocking and amazing and heartwarming stories. I worked within the class assisting the teacher, an amazing and dynamic man, and I tutored individuals who needed a little extra help. Never did I realize I would love something as much. There was one woman in particular who will stay with me forever. She looked older than her stated age and she had lived in Kenyan refugee camps as a Bantu Somali since the early 1990's. When she lived in Somalia, her husband was murdered and the scar left with this woman is deep. However, I was able to get through to her and even received an invitation to Eid ul Fitr at her house. When I began working, I had to stop volunteering as I didn't have any time in my new schedule.
In order to reconnect with this experience, I volunteered to be part of the new citizenship committee at the bar association. The responsibilities are quite simple: attend one of four swearing in ceremonies at the federal courthouse, give some brief remarks, and hand out American flag pins. I've only participated once before. I didn't exactly prepare a speech ahead of time, shocking...me not prepared? Procrastinating? Never! However, I used my experiences at RRA to hopefully inspire and commend everyone for their varying degrees of struggles to become a United States citizen. Additionally, I practically begged them to vote and take jury duty as an important responsibility. So I did the same, I stumbled a bit, at one point I thought I would get teary, but there was one woman in the audience who kept smiling and nodding her head. That got me through the speech.
Most everyone had a prepared speech and quoted our founding fathers, emphasized the importance of the constitution, or talked about the Revolutionary War. You see, that's not my thang. As usual, I like to make it personal. Instead, I spent more time discussing how amazing they all are for doing all this work to become citizens. At some point, I nearly choked up (don't tell) and I had to pause. I didn't look at my notes, I looked at them. I wished I could have made eye contact with every one of them during my speech but instead I shook their hand and smiled like a complete goofball. If I had known how much I enjoyed teaching and tutoring English as a Second Language, I might have taken a different path.
If you ever have a chance, watch the Citizenship Swearing in Ceremony. I promise that you won't regret it. And I wonder if any of the new citizens are from Taiwan.
Wow- that's really amazing. I think its wonderful that they focus on the Constitution and such, but I think its even more wonderful they had someone there to focus on the people who worked so hard to achieve something they wanted.
I kind of tear up just imagining it, and I NEVER do that.
Posted by: Megan | March 28, 2008 at 01:24 PM
The citizenship swearing in ceremonies are some of the few legal proceedings where everybody in the room is HAPPY and PROUD. When I was a law clerk and my judge did the ceremonies I ALWAYS got choked up. Sounds like she talked about the same kinds of things you did. And it's one of those times that no matter how annoyed you are with the current administration (no matter who they might be), you can't help but be proud of the system.
(And also this is what cheeses me off about legislation that people propose every once in a while trying to distinguish between naturalized and "natural born" citizens. Guess what, kooks - we ALL came from Africa at some point, ok? Deal with it.) /off soapbox.
Posted by: LawyerChick | March 29, 2008 at 04:40 AM
what an incredible experience that must be. if I ever get the opportunity, I will definitely check that out.
Posted by: Inmate1972 | March 30, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Fretful, you are so cool. Thanks for showing the world that not all lawyers are bloodsuckers. My niece is graduating from law school soon, and is showing a tendency to proudly live up to the stereotype. May there be more compassionate, civic minded lawyers like you that graduate this year.
Check this out; this guy is a corporate litigation lawywer who's also breaking the stereotype. He is writing the most emotional, beautiful and inspiring book about dealing with canine cancer. http://www.dougandthebbrothers.com
Posted by: Rene | March 31, 2008 at 11:16 AM
This is why you RAWK.
Posted by: Bipolarlawyercook | April 02, 2008 at 01:25 PM
Aww, this is so nice. I probably would have liked being a lawyer more had I done something slightly more stimulating than take houses away from poor people. Hmm.
Incidentally, this courtroom looks very similar to the bankruptcy courtroom in Rome, GA, although I suspect it also looks similar to courtrooms in about 50-bazillion other random cities as well.
Posted by: Lara | April 04, 2008 at 06:39 AM