By Julieta Paita
For the fifth consecutive year, Bonding Against Adversity celebrated Constitution Day in the Aldine area.
This year took place at the M.O. Educational Center located on Aldine Bender Rd. during a Oath of Allegiance ceremony where more than 1,100 people became American citizens.
The sworn in of these 1,100 new citizens is a work in conjunction with 20 more organizations and partners that provided services with citizenship application process.
This day was a day of arts, music and celebration. Art pieces representing the Constitution Day drawn from MacArthur, Aldine and Nimitz High Schools students were on exhibition and judged. The three first winners received a prize. And the High School of the first winner, Bonding Against Adversity grants a $500 prize for its art program. First and second places winners are from Aldine High School, Karen Martinez and Veronica Ayala; the third place goes to Amy Orea from Nimitz High School.
Honorable Judge Keith P. Ellison officiated the ceremony of Oath. Other guests speakers and VIPs were Grace Olivares, Univision Televisa Senior; Elisa Villanueva Beard, President and CEO from Houston Endowment; Carlos Silva, Chairman of the East Aldine Management District; Able Garza, Assistant Superintendent of Government and Constituent Services of Aldine ISD; Reyna Tippets, Dean of Lone Star College – East Aldine District; Priscila True, Board President of League of Women Voters.
During this year’s Constitution Day celebration, Mac- Arthur High School choir performed the National Anthem and patriotic songs; moreover, Carver High School presented folkloric dances representing different latin countries. Other countries represented during the celebration included India, Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, Vietnam and the African continent.
At the end of the celebration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services distributed certificates to the new sworn in citizens.
“It’s important to become citizen, if you are a legal permanent resident and qualifies to receive citizenship, there are organizations that provide free help and assistance, emphasizes Mariana Sanchez, Bonding Against Adversity Chief Operating Officer.
This year, United States celebrates 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence and “what a better day to celebrate it than becoming an American citizen,” concluded Mariana Sanchez.
Overview of Constitution Day
Constitution Day (celebrated every September 17th) marks the moment the U.S. Constitution was signed. In 1787, 39 delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the founding document. In the 1940s, a holiday called “I Am an American Day” was created to celebrate citizens. A determined Ohio housewife named Olga T. Weber campaigned heavily to change the holiday to September 17th to honor the exact day the Constitution was created. Her efforts paid off when Congress officially established Citizenship Day in 1952. [National Flag Foundation].
Becoming “Constitution Day”: In 2004, a federal law officially renamed it Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. It also required all schools and federally funded institutions to teach about the Constitution on or near September 17th.
Today, it serves as an annual reminder of the country’s founding rules, individual freedoms, and the responsibilities of citizenship.
It’s also a dual purpose; it serves as Citizenship Day, honoring individuals who were born in the United States or became naturalized citizens.
Leave a Comment