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Brewster Holds Naturalization Ceremony

Photo: Samantha Frank
07/18/2022 8:17 PM

Article By: Kayla Gregoire

On Friday’s every home team celebrates a hero of the game. In Brewster this past weekend, the Whitecaps celebrated more than just the hero of the game.

The Whitecaps held a naturalization ceremony an hour ahead of game time.

Naturalization is the process to become a United States citizen if you were born outside of the U.S. For many people it is very hard to become a U.S. citizen and when it does happen it’s a memory that will always be on their mind. Brewster got to be a part of that special memory on Friday.

27 members from 17 different countries became U.S. citizens on Friday. The countries include Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, China, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, Sierra Leone, and the United Kingdom.

Most of the 27 people had family there on the gates along the field cheering their family members on. Many of them stood with a smile on their face, filming the person close to them getting U.S. citizenship.

Among the 27 were seven that have served or are serving in the military. When those in service came up to receive their certificate of citizenship the cheers across the ballpark were very loud.

There were also people who wanted to have a name change along with their citizenship and they were officially granted the chance to be able to change their name.

To make the ceremony even more special, the Whitecaps invited the Honor Guard for the National Anthem. It was a special evening in Brewster, and a first of its kind ceremony in the Cape League!