The Cleveland Cultural Gardens, a string of 29 gardens, are amongst the greatest gems of our great city, located along Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and the adjacent East Blvd. On August 28, 2016, the 71st annual One World Day Celebration was held, presented by Cleveland City Councilman Kevin Conwell. Throughout the day thousands of people gathered to see the parade of flags (featuring colorful costumes of dozens of nationalities), take trolley tours of every garden, watch cultural performances, and sample amazing ethnic food.
The Global Cleveland team was happy to participate in all of these experiences, but we were most excited to welcome our newest American citizens who were sworn in during the Naturalization Ceremony. During the Celebration, following the parade, there is special a Naturalization Ceremony to welcome and celebrate community members who have completed the requirements to become citizens of the United States.
Naturalization ceremonies are typically held every other Friday, at the Federal Courthouse, and for the past three months Global Cleveland has been welcoming our newest Citizens with welcome packets. These packets include welcome letters from Mayor Frank Jackson, County Executive Armond Budish, and Global Cleveland staff. The packets also include a certificate from Global Cleveland Board Chair David Fleshler, President Joe Cimperman, and Founder Albert Ratner; along with resources to help connect our newest citizens get connected to social and economic opportunities in the region.
Nearly 2500 individuals are naturalized annually in Cuyahoga County and about 95% of them reside in the Greater Cleveland area. It is important for us to welcome our newest American citizens because we understand the civic and economic impact that result from increased rates of citizenship.
There are many reasons why an immigrant chooses to become a naturalized United States citizen. People come to America from all over the world in the hopes of attaining a better life for themselves and their families and to call this great land of ours home. Cleveland is a state with a rich heritage of immigrants and their families contributing to make our state special.
Global Cleveland was a proud sponsor of the One World Day Celebration and the naturalization that took place that day, and those that take place every other Friday. For more information or to volunteer to attend a naturalization ceremony with us visit us at https://globalcleveland.org/volunteer/naturalization where you’ll find a full list of ceremonies taking place this year.
