Katie said her new blue passport makes her feel safe. Quincy explains, “There’s no risk that they will send you away. With a green card, maybe they would send you back for some reason. Even when you go back home to visit your family, it’s different with a blue American passport. Before, if the immigration officer was not in a good mood, maybe you will wait five or ten hours at the airport, but not with an American passport!”
July 2020 was Quincy and Katie’s first 4th of July as US citizens. Before the pandemic, they had planned to go downtown and enjoy the fireworks, but now Katie says she will bake a cake to celebrate. And of course, they’ll wave their small American flags because, as Quincy puts it, “I’m so proud now I’m an American. It’s something very great.” READY TO GET INVOLVED? With the help of KIN volunteers, internationals are passing the citizenship test almost every month. Consider the freedom and safety we take for granted as American citizens and decide what you can do to help someone else feel the same way. Maybe you volunteer to help someone study for the test. Maybe you donate so KIN can connect more internationals with helpful citizenship tutors. *Names changed for privacy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
IMPACTRead the stories of Knoxville's local internationals and the volunteers who have impacted their lives. Get a first-hand view of what it's like to move here and/or to serve those who've moved here from other countries. Discover how KIN has impacted life and culture in metro Knoxville. Archives
September 2023
Categories
All
|