Welcoming the new Americans
March 10, 2020
Indiana residents hailing from every continent were selected to participate in the U.S. naturalization ceremony March 10 at the Palladium. (Photos by Rob Slaven)
Center hosts first U.S. citizenship ceremony
at the Palladium
The United States of America welcomed 98 new citizens from 42 nations Tuesday during a federal court naturalization ceremony at the Palladium, a first-time venture for the Center for the Performing Arts.
Candidates from throughout central and southern Indiana arrived hours early for the 2 p.m. ceremony, with family and friends in tow to celebrate the occasion. Immigrants from Burma, India and Vietnam were especially well represented, while others came from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and elsewhere.
Chief Judge Robyn Moberly of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana presided over the ceremony and took note of the elegant concert hall setting. Naturalization ceremonies take place at a wide variety of locations.
“This is kind of a step up for us, a little more glamorous than usual,” she told the crowd.
The program included music from the Indiana Wind Symphony, one of the Center’s Resident Companies, and remarks from representatives of Gov. Eric Holcomb, U.S. Sens. Todd Young and Mike Braun, U.S. Reps. Andre Carson and Susan Brooks, the Indianapolis and Indiana State Bar Associations, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Center for the Performing Arts.
“I can’t tell you all how pleased and proud we are to host this event,” said Jeffrey C. McDermott, the Center's President and CEO. “America truly is a nation of immigrants, and we welcome anyone who shares our ideals.”
The Center provided refreshments for a post-ceremony reception in the Palladium’s South Lobby, where many of the new citizens immediately registered to vote at a table staffed by the Marion County Clerk’s Office.
Chief Judge Robyn Moberly of the Southern District of Indiana presided over the March 10 ceremony at the Palladium, administering the Oath of Allegiance to 98 new U.S. citizens from around the world.
