New American citizens naturalized on Missouri’s bicentennial
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
In the crowded and dimly lit Missouri Capitol, Cecil Brown sits with 32 other citizenship applicants waiting to hear his name. As the judge says his name, Brown stands up and loudly proclaims "Ghana," his country of origin.
After the ceremony, Brown accepts congratulations from those around him. He is now a full citizen of the United States.
Tuesday morning, 33 new citizens were naturalized at a special bicentennial ceremony presided over by Judges Beth Phillips and Stephen Limbaugh Jr. Gov. Mike Parson led the Pledge of Allegiance and the Missouri Choral Directors Association All-State Festival Choir and the Missouri National Guard 135th Army Band performed the national anthem and "America the Beautiful."
Missouri Statehood Day celebrates 200 years since Missouri gained statehood. Missouri became the 24th state on Aug. 10, 1821. A 200-year-old American flag showcasing 24 stars was on display in the rotunda.
Several other bicentennial events happened on Tuesday. Before the naturalization ceremony, Parson unveiled the official bicentennial stamp.
Brown came to the United States in 2005 to study at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He was motivated to come after meeting some Americans.
"My desire to come out to the States is partially due to missionaries that came out to Ghana on a medical mission," Brown said.
Brown now lives in Columbia with his wife and three children working as an assistant physician. Brown said he decided to apply for full citizenship because he believes it will make applying for his medical residency easier.
"I too want to go out and share that learning I've acquired, those skills I've acquired with the rest of the world," Brown said.
Brown said the process was a breeze, probably because he had help from his wife, who is originally from Sierra Leon but was naturalized before they met. They will be celebrating their nine-year anniversary next Wednesday.
"(I came here as) a little 17-year-old boy, and now it's like I'm a little grown-up, I would say," Brown said.
After he completes his residency, Brown said he hopes to travel and bring medicine to other countries, like the missionaries he met in Ghana. For now, Brown is looking forward to celebrating his birthday Wednesday. He said becoming a citizen was the best birthday present.
"A lot of values that I hold dear are embodied in what it means to be American," Brown said.
