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Nour Sardab has her entire life to anticipate and with the federal government’s assistance, she will experience a vested existence as a U.S. citizen.
The 18-month-old Sudan native and nine other youngsters made their debuts as naturalized figures Nov. 30 at Settlement Music School’s Mary Louise Curtis Branch, 416 Queen St. Representing six countries, the children beamed with pride, with Nour, whose name means “light,” delighting her mother, grandfather and others with radiant smiles.
The work of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the afternoon ceremony capped National Adoption Month, which in prior years united five of the honorees with their families, earning the young ones automatic citizenship through the Immigration and Nationality Act. Nour and the others also had obtained instant privilege by being the offspring of parents who became naturalized after stints as permanent residents. The celebration completed the children’s integration, as the entire group received certificates of citizenship.
“I was shocked to hear this would be my daughter’s big day,” Angi Sardab said of receiving a call from the federal agency two weeks ago, as she had expected a long process to have Nour become her clan’s eighth naturalized member.
The Upper Darby dweller hails from Khartoum, the capital city of North Africa’s Sudan. She came to the United States in 2000 and became a citizen in ’09. Sardab bore Nour in her homeland yet wanted to sustain her Delaware County life. She has been able to, but logistics kept her daughter from acquiring health insurance for more than a year and decreased her desire to apply for a green card for her cherub.
“So based on those circumstances,” the mother said as her father, Elamin, played with Nour, “I could not believe it until now.”
Settlement’s Presser Hall removed all doubt as Sardab and her relatives occupied front-row seats. The youngest participant, Nour peered at her peers, four of Indian descent, two of Chinese ancestry and solo members of the Canadian, Ecuadorian and Vietnamese lineages.
Horsham’s College Settlement House, formerly 425-35 Christian St., opened in 1889 to assist Queen Village’s African-American, Italian and Russian Jewish populations and created Settlement as its music program in 1908. Six years later, it became a community school of the arts, with the Curtis building’s services beginning in ’17. Its history of aiding immigrants landed Settlement the hosting duties.
Its most recent director, Eric Anderson, current head of the Germantown branch, addressed the site’s role in symbolizing Philadelphia’s ethnic diversity and encouraged the gathering to mark the past while enjoying the present and designing the future.
“Always remember to keep the songs of your birthplace alive in your heart as you learn to sing the songs of your new home,” he said to the children.
Anderson noted the Curtis branch never held a similar ceremony during his tenure there and could not confirm if the entire system has overseen such an occasion. The federal agency contacted him last autumn and intended to have an April event. Scheduling issues postponed Settlement’s reward for immigrant-friendly annals, yet great news came to Anderson et al early this fall.
“We are thrilled to welcome the children,” Anderson said.
He and the invitees greeted Tony Bryson, the Immigration Services’ Philadelphia District 5 director, who administered the Oath of Allegiance.
“This is going to have many big words in it, so just say ‘Yes’ when I am finished,” the representative said to laughter.
After issuing congratulatory remarks, he played an audio message from President Barack Obama. The children then enjoyed a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of their country by singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Some knew the tune, which Settlement’s Manager of Executive Affairs Kristen Halkes-Kratz played on a piano, while others consulted their programs. Their volume increased when the Pledge of Allegiance followed, and the distribution of certificates officialized the festivities and inspired rounds of cheers.
“I am still surprised,” Sardab said as eager taste buds led Nour to chew on two small American flags.
Sardab expects her husband Ahmed to become a citizen by March, so Nour soon will have more reasons to smile and munch.
“We are excited for next year, too,” Sardab said.
A hot-button global topic, adoption often involves terrific tales and sad stories. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ August 2010 report, 419,752 domestic adoptions of children with public child welfare agency involvement occurred from ’02 to ’09, an annual average of 52,469. For Fiscal Year 2010, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics noted U.S. citizens made 11,100 immigrant adoptions. The statistics mingle with a sobering figure — 107,000 — the children who, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, are in the nation’s foster care system.
Desiring children to call their own, Mary and John Hatfield of Lansdowne have gone the international route to find their brood. They adopted Philip Nguyen from Vietnam’s Bac Giang province in ’04, situating the 14-month-old more than 8,000 miles away from his birthplace and giving him plenty of love and support.
“We immediately desired naturalization for Philip,” Mary Hatfield said.
Ecstatic to have added their son, the Hatfields in ’06 gave him a sister by adopting Lucy Lan from the nearby Bac Ninh province. Also looking to plan Lucy’s naturalization, the happy parents learned two weeks ago they had to firm up plans to honor Philip, as the agency’s drawing chose him as a Settlement attendee.
“We are just so proud and excited,” the matriarch said as her children inspected the branch.
Its namesake was the wife of author and editor Edward W. Bok, a Dutch immigrant whose legacy lives on through an eponymously named high school at 1901 S. Ninth St.
“I’m proud to become a citizen,” the boy, a studious fourth-grader at Drexel Hill’s St. Andrew School, who confidently recited the Pledge of Allegiance, said.
Having served more than 300,000 students in its 103 years, Settlement is hoping to recruit the children to its branches. If not successful, it can boast of being a memorable spot for last week’s attendees, especially the Hatfields.
“We are hoping to have a big celebration when his dad comes back,” Mary Hatfield said of her spouse, an Eagles’ employee who traveled with the Birds for their Dec. 1 game in Seattle. “Today, we’ll see what happens.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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