BOSTON — On Thursday, October 20, the Armenian Heritage Foundation organized its annual ceremony to welcome new US citizens to the Armenian Heritage Park on the Greenway. This ceremony has been a tradition since 2015. Food, gifts, music, signs with “welcome” written in several languages: becoming American never seemed so friendly and emotional. At the end of the day, you feel like you have seen humanity at its best.
What hit me, at first, were the voices of children — fifth-grade students from the Advent School of Beacon Hill — crying out, “Welcome!” and the sound of their applause as they cleared the way for the new citizens arriving from Faneuil Hall following their naturalization ceremony. I had chills just watching this scene of love and acceptance spreading throughout this green lawn labyrinth. It was a beautiful interaction between the children and the new Americans to witness. The immigrants’ initially doubtful but pleased faces, encountering the soft and innocent gazes of the children, made for a touching tableaux.
On this clear, warm, and blue October Thursday, I was amazed to see so many people, women, men, students, and seniors, gathered to welcome a group of 120 people from all over the world and who live in Massachusetts. As gifts for the new Americans, blinking American flags pins and other gifts from Bostonian institutions were given to these most recent Americans. The Boston Symphony Orchestra provided, for instance, 2 tickets to attend a concert to each new citizen, to welcome them to the city. The Boston Children’s Museum gave out passes for various programs and the Greenway Conservancy, offered rides on the Carrousel.
In the background, the Black Sea Salsa Band played a mix of music. Their biggest fan was maybe Maral Dulgarian, cheering them and recording them with her phone. “I’m thrilled to be here today, it reminds me of my own experience. I was an Armenian-Lebanese immigrant years ago. I’m proud to be here as part of this event and enjoy my daughter’s singing,” she said, proudly.
During the afternoon, passersby walking near the park also stopped by, including a couple of tourists attracted by the music. Among these hospitable people, Anna Gunnarson Afeyan spoke, smiling broadly to all. Her husband is the Noubar Afeyan, co-founder and CEO of Moderna, which is under the umbrella of Flagship Pioneering. They have sponsored this ceremony for many years.
“My journey to this country was really easy because I came from Sweden, however, for my husband, born in Lebanon, it was more difficult. Many of you have similar stories and this park represent all of us,” she shared. Immigrants, she believes, are essential to the fabric of Boston, and they must be properly welcomed.