Coalitions Team!
As we celebrate National Citizen's Day, it is important to reflect on the privileges and responsibilities that come with the title of United States Citizen. As United States citizens, we are graced with the rare and precious opportunity to live the American Dream: all citizensno matter our race, creed, or gendercan prosper. We have the right to worship freely, to associate freely, and to follow our own path wherever it may take us.
With the many privileges of citizenship comes responsibility. As Theodore Roosevelt once noted, "The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he should be able and willing to pull his weight." Each individual has a duty to give back to this country that offers such boundless opportunity. Voting, community service, military service, governmental servicethese are all ways that American citizens can contribute to our country.
I encourage all Americans to show their appreciation and dedication to this wonderful country by serving others: mentor children, volunteer in your community, join the military, run for office. The list of ways to "pull one's weight" is as unlimited as the opportunities available to all American citizens. Let us be the difference, not only in a fellow-American's life, but in the society in which we live. America was built on the hopes and dreams of men and women who knew a cause greater than self. It is our duty to honor that legacy by constantly striving to serve our country so that it can continue to be the place that all those before us have fought to create.
People from all over the world come to the United States in search of the American Dream. They seek the opportunities that America offers its citizens. Our newest citizens know what it is like to live without the liberties afforded in the United States. Immigrants have often been the greatest examples of service to our country: joining the military to expedite the green-card process, helping others with the immigration process, and getting involved in their communities. They must continue serve the country that they have pledged allegiance to. All citizens, whether natural born or naturalized, have a duty to give what they can to the country that gives them so much.
As American citizens, the power to choose our representatives in government is our most treasured right and our most solemn responsibility. Every citizen must take part in the process that makes America the greatest country the world has ever seen. By voting, American citizens can determine the path that their country will take. Let us never take this great country, or the rights we have as citizens, for granted.
Happy Citizens Day!
Aaron Manaigo
National Director of Coalitions
