Cleveland, OH
The American Dream can be found in a downtown Cleveland naturalization ceremony
The city’s diversity and uniquely welcoming atmosphere make it a beacon of inspiration for the international community
On March 21, a cold spring day in downtown Cleveland, you could still feel the warmth in the hearts beating at the Cuyahoga County Administrative Headquarters. There, 30 individuals from other countries will become American citizens.
For most, this journey took them many years, many miles, or both. Take Eggar Raul for example. He applied just a year ago, but his journey from Mexico started thousands of miles away and his journey to American citizenship took 20 years. At the naturalization ceremony, he had his wife and three children, ranging in age from 3 to 12 years old. celebrating with him.
Just across the aisle sat Carlos Alessandra Cruz Garcia and his beautiful wife, Linda. Carlos has lived in this country 28 years and decided the time was finally right to become an American Citizen.
When asked what it meant to him to finally have this honor, he replied, “Freedom! It means no more worries, I can finally put my shoulders down. I can vote!”
Carlos met Linda almost 30 years ago online – she was from New York and he was from Guatemala. Linda came from Guatemala as a child and was naturalized immediately. Little did she know she would fall in love and win a scholarship that would take her to college at Case Western Reserve University. The scholarship and her efforts led her to become a social worker and she now works as a trauma therapist. She has been with Carlos for 23 years and sits next to him with immense pride on his day of naturalization. They are living the American dream, they said. But that dream did not come easy and they admit to hardship along the way.
Linda recalls picking Carlos up from multiple restaurants where he worked as a cook. In the past few years, however, he has put down his apron in favor of going into the information technologies field.
First to speak at the ceremony was a representative from Global Cleveland, a nonprofit organization formed in 2011 to advance unity, solidarity, and collective community-building among international newcomers. Their offices are based in downtown Cleveland. According to marketing director Gwendolyn Kochur, “Our job is to ensure that our international community is well cared for. So, we connect international people with opportunities, economic, social, cultural, and make Northeast Ohio a better place for them to call home.”
Global Cleveland witnessed the naturalization of about 2,600 people in 2023. Cleveland is one of the best places in the country for naturalization, in terms of quick processing time, Kochur said, which makes Cleveland a prime location for growth. Members from Global Cleveland attend every naturalization ceremony, which happens about every two weeks. They provide the new citizens with a packet of resources, letters from the Cleveland Mayor and the Cuyahoga County Executive, and oodles of different information for them so that they can be welcomed properly.
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne welcomed the group and spoke about his own father, who was also an immigrant.
“We are a county of 120 different ethnic communities, with origins from places all throughout the world,” Ronayne said. “120 different communities strong, put together as one in Cuyahoga County. We are, in this country, a nation of immigrants. We are, in this county, a county of immigrants. Immigrants continue to help make our economy thrive – 20 percent of our newcomer entrepreneurs are immigrants.”
Ronayne also let the soon-to-be American citizens know that a new welcome center is now open for immigrants and refugees with limited English proficiency. The Welcome Center is in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood on Memphis and Fulton Road. A physical place where those new to Ohio, and new to this country, can take the first steps critical to building a future in the United States.
“If they have a leg up on education, on a job opportunity, on a house, we want to be here as a resource to those who might choose Cuyahoga County for their home in the future,” Ronayne said.
The county also partners with outside service agencies, such as Global Cleveland and ReSource Cleveland, to connect residents to resources including housing, job support, educational services, legal support and language services.
Before it was time for the naturalization ceremony, the audience were greeted by Cuyahoga County Council President Parnell Jones.
“We have a saying in the United States, that we are a melting pot. And when you’re a melting pot, I mean, we all come in and we all melt and it’s all the same, and we’re all one unified group,” Jones said. “That’s not really how it played out. That’s not what you see. And that’s not really what happens. I think it’s more like a pot of vegetables, stew, we all bring our own uniqueness to that stew, it doesn’t get lost, doesn’t have to be lost. You are bringing something to this country. Expect that you bring yourself and you will add value to this community. As you live your life worth playing, enjoying this country … all that it has to offer is here for you.”
“We have a saying in the United States, that we are a melting pot. And when you’re a melting pot, I mean, we all come in and we all melt and it’s all the same, and we’re all one unified group,” Jones said. “That’s not really how it played out. That’s not what you see. And that’s not really what happens. I think it’s more like a pot of vegetables, stew, we all bring our own uniqueness to that stew, it doesn’t get lost, doesn’t have to be lost. You are bringing something to this country. Expect that you bring yourself and you will add value to this community. As you live your life worth playing, enjoying this country … all that it has to offer is here for you.”
Finally, the time had come. All 30 immigrants getting naturalized were asked to stand and raise their right hand as the oath was spoken. Those standing represented 20 countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Bhutan, Burma, Congo, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines and Ukraine.
Judge Jonathan de Greenberg, a US Magistrate Judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, swore in participants. Huge applause thundered across the room and hugs were given all around. Each new American citizen was then escorted up to shake hands and take pictures with officials. With hard work and perseverance, they have just begun to live their American dream.
Cleveland, OH
Nicholson Grabs Double-Double in Return Home – Bethune-Cookman University Athletics
CLEVELAND – In her return home to the Cleveland, Ohio area Friday evening, Bethune-Cookman junior forward Asianae Nicholson picked up her fourth double-double of the season while the Wildcats fell 78-59 to Cleveland State in a women’s basketball game inside Woodling Gymnasium.
FIRST QUARTER
Bethune-Cookman (2-7) shot 50 percent from three-point range in the opening quarter performing a 3-for-6 shooting touch from beyond the arc. After falling behind, 7-2 just over two minutes into the game, the Wildcats answered on the strength of a 10-2 run to claim a 12-9 advantage with 4:35 remaining in the quarter.
Shomari Phillips opened and closed the run for the Cats with bookend three-pointers, coupled with a layup from center Kayla Clark. Freshman Mya Johnson’s successful layup made it 14-13 in favor of the Wildcats before Cleveland State responded with a 7-3 run of its own as Mya Moore’s layup put the Vikings back on the positive end, 15-14. Mickayla Perdue scored the final six points of the period for the Vikings to give the hosts a 20-17 edge at the close of the period.
SECOND QUARTER
CSU’s Kali Howard gave her side its largest lead of the opening half at 22-17 with 7:59 remaining.
Asianae Nicholson kicked off a 9-0 B-CU run with a layup off the pass of junior guard Daimoni Dorsey. Fellow Cleveland native and senior Kayla White –making her first return back to Ohio as a collegiate student-athlete, laid a pass into Dorsey for a jumper at the top of the key before Nicholson stepped to the line to connect on 1 of 2 and tie the game at 22-22. Janessa Kelley added a basket to put the Cats back on top, while Phillips closed the run with a spinning layup and a 26-22 lead with 4:26 left.
Karianna Woods hit a pair of free throws to put the visitors up 28-26, but the Vikings got baskets from Perdue and Sara Guerreiro to close the half and give CSU a 34-30 lead at the break.
B-CU held CSU without a three-pointer in the first half, forcing the Vikings into a 0-for-7 mark from long range.
THIRD QUARTER
The free throw line was the key to CSU stretching the lead in the third quarter as the Vikings finished 7 of 9 at the line for the stanza. In all, the Vikings outscored the Cats 21-12 in order to burst out to a double-digit lead at 55-42 at the end of the period.
CSU went on a 15-5 run to open the quarter beginning with Guerreiro’s putback layup, as well as one of the team’s leading three-point specialists in Destiny Leo, as she was fouled by Johnson while attempting a corner three. She connected on all three attempts, and teammate Jordan Reisma – finishing 11 of 13 from the field and shooting more than 70 percent from the field on the season, collected the rebound on one end and finished it on the other for a 46-35 Vikings lead. Reisma added another basket moments later to extend the lead, 49-35.
Jordan Brooks, a freshman point guard from Atlanta, Georgia, recorded her fifth three-pointer of the season just a minute before the close of the quarter. But it was a Macey Fegan layup off the assist of Guerreiro stopping a potential B-CU run. Nicholson stole a Perdue pass and raced to the basket for a buzzer-beating layup.
FOURTH QUARTER
CSU shot 67 percent in the fourth quarter – adding two (2) three-pointers), while managing a 9 of 11 showing at the charity stripe in the final quarter. Meanwhile, B-CU was limited to just 5-for-13 in the period using a pair of baskets from Nicholson. Three different Vikings were perfect from the field including Reisma and Fegan with 2-for-2 mirror performances. The Cats did manage to out-rebound the Vikings at a 7-4 edge and convert those into seven second chance points.
CSU was sparked by a career-high 25 points from Reisma, while teammate Perdue added 22 points and four assists. Fegan had 11 points to finish in double figures as well, also passing out a game-high five assists.
B-CU was led in scoring by Nicholson with 14 points, as she also pulled down 12 rebounds (six offensive) to go along with two steals and two assists. Kayla Clark had 10 points and three assists.
Bethune-Cookman stays in Volusia County traveling to Stetson for the Hatter Classic taking place December 19-20, at Insight Credit Union Arena at Edmunds Center. Once in DeLand, the Cats will take on Bradley (Dec. 19) to open the event, followed by South Alabama (Dec. 20).
Follow Bethune-Cookman Women’s Basketball on X/Twitter (@BCUWBB) and Instagram (@BCU_WBB) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland police investigating after swastika found inside new Sherwin Williams headquarters
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland police are investigating after a Sherwin Williams employee found a hateful symbol on the job site of the company’s new headquarters downtown.
“I was shocked that somebody would do that,” said a Sherman Williams construction worker who wanted to remain anonymous. “I’m old enough to know that there’s people like that out there, but for somebody to be that angry to want to do that to destroy property, to carve it into private or public property because it’s the way that you think, or feel is ridiculous.”
The man is just one of roughly 1,000 contractors working on the new Sherwin-Williams building. He was horrified when he discovered that someone etched a large swastika on the door of the new skyscraper’s 4th-floor elevator.
“They sent out a mass text to all the superintendents, everybody put their tools away and shut the whole job down for further investigation and called the police in,” the man explained. “The detectives came, took photos and the following day they had a safety stand to kind of inform everybody what was going on, reiterate their zero-tolerance policy of some this hate graffiti.”
Cleveland police say they got the call on Tuesday. Right now, they haven’t made any arrests but the person responsible could be charged with ethnic intimidation and vandalism.
The employee believes it had to have been done by another worker.
“There’s constantly Sherwin-Williams, corporate people, and Gilbane, safety coordinators walking around so it was pretty brazen and shocking,” he said.
It’s going to cost the company more than $5,000 to repair the elevator door.
“I think this is a good addition to the city, to the skyline and to Cleveland, and it’s a shame that something like that could cast a shadow of something good that’s happening in the city,” the employee told 19 News.
Gilbane Construction is the contractor for the project. He says he was impressed with the way Gilbane and Sherwin Williams handled the situation.
“I think it was good the way Gilbane and Sherwin-William, how serious they took it and how swift they acted and in notifying everyone that that type of display of hate is not tolerated,” the man said.
Contact Cleveland detectives if you have any information that could help identify the vandal.
19 News reached out to Sherwin Williams for a statement, but so far, we have not heard back.
Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
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