The naturalization ceremony and Oath of Allegiance was very emotional, seeing people from so many different nationalities, all dressed in their Sunday best. Some overcome with joy had tears streaming down their face as they recited the oath in front of the judge precising over the ceremony and their loved ones. But on that morning, what really hit us in "the feels" was a mural on our way to 26 Federal Plaza.
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| Tribeca, NYC 2016 | Photo by Katherine Gomez |
As we walked to the building, we encountered, on the corner of Franklin Street and Church Street, a 90-foot installation of a group of kids who looked like they were from a different era. The piece was so impressive, it stopped us dead in our tracks. Luckily, we had some time on our hands before the ceremony started. We sat on the stoop of a restaurant right in front and started researching about the piece.
The piece turned out to be part of the Unframed: Ellis Island series installation by the French artist JR. The piece depicts the faces of children who arrived at Ellis Island in 1909 after escaping warfare, poverty, and hunger. Those faces staring back at us were no different than us. Their stories over a century ago are no different than the stories we have to tell today; stories of struggle, risk, discrimination, poverty and hard work.
For us, sitting there on that particular day was symbolic. We felt these immigrant children were passing the torch onto us, that now we had achieved the American Dream and were part of the narrative. We somehow had a double obligation; first, to uphold the values and sovereignty of our new nation and homeland, and second, to stand up for those who are currently here pursuing the American Dream and those who have yet to step foot on our shores.
Man can not live on art alone. I am just as passionate about the topic of immigration as I am about street art. Stay tuned as I will be putting together an essay on immigration that I hope you will consider.
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