Naturalization Ceremony, Conversation on Salvadoran Immigration Scheduled for May 6-7

New United States citizens take the Naturalization Oath during a naturalization ceremony in Bowker Auditorium in April 2023.

Approximately 200 people representing 60 countries will take the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance and become United States citizens at a naturalization ceremony hosted by UMass Amherst and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) at noon on Tuesday, May 7, in Bowker Auditorium.<_o3a_p>

State Rep. Mindy Domb will present the keynote speech at the ceremony, which is organized in coordination with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The ceremony will follow a conversation on memory, resistance and Central American migration at noon on Monday, May 6 in Old Chapel.<_o3a_p>

The interdisciplinary conversation on Salvadoran migration to the U.S. will celebrate a new book by Lynnette Arnold, assistant professor of anthropology. "Living Together Across Borders: Communicative Care in Transnational Salvadoran Families" (Oxford University Press, June 2024) recounts the stories of extended families living stretched between a rural Salvadoran village and U.S. cities. Arnold will explain how families use communicative memory practices to stay connected when they must remain apart for years at a time. She'll be joined by Diana Sierra Becerra, assistant professor of history, who will discuss how U.S. imperialism and state repression against revolutionary movements relate to understanding the historical roots of migration.<_o3a_p>

The discussion is sponsored by SBS and the Interdisciplinary Migration Working Group.<_o3a_p>

Both events are free, open to the public and require no advance registration. More information on the events can be found on the SBS website.

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