resident of New York City and lived the horror
of 9/11. Unless you were there, you simply can’t
imagine.”
“When I came to America I became a naturalized
citizen. That was the way it was done then. I
was naturalized because my mother had already
become a citizen. We both went through the
process that was set forth at that time. But, most
importantly, we participated; we were so proud
of being in this country and wanted to give back
to our country and community. Even though we
practiced many of the traditions of our heritage
and our previous culture, we gratefully embraced
America for all that it offered us.”
“I am not a racist by any means and have no
problem with those who come into this country
legally, follow the law, and become a contributing member of society. But I feel angered,
overwhelmed and abused by the influx of undocumented immigrants who come to one of
the ‘sanctuary’ cities, of which New York is one.
Literally millions flock to various cities around
this country. There are no requirements that they
learn English, there is no control over what type
of illnesses might be coming into our country,
and no emphasis is placed on required education
or assimilation. In my opinion, this is happening
because current laws are clearly not being enforced. From Washington on down, I feel we have
a broken government. Employers who employ
illegal workers, should, according to our laws,
be fined. But they are not. The laws seem to be
unenforceable.”
fer to his college, which I would have done.”
“Unfortunately…or fortunately, a man from New
York had seen me perform in Michigan and told
my mother I needed to go to New York. He had
a daughter in the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. My
mother was very determined that at least one of
her daughters would make it in music. So, I went
to New York City and studied. I was very young,
only 17 years old, but I felt very safe there. I
would ride the subway alone and it was a very different life than it is today.”
“Everything was very nice, no overcrowding, no
pushing, no shoving. I am sure there was crime
and unpleasant things, but I was not aware of
this. I eventually left New York when I married
my husband, Richard. We went to live in his family home in California, where I had two children.
I returned to New York 10 years later to pursue
a professional singing career. Most American
opera singers pursued careers in Europe before
they debuted in the states. I made the decision to
stay in New York, because I didn’t want to leave
my children at their very young age. By this time,
Richard and I had divorced.”
“I returned to New York City in 1958. The city
was still fine at that time, somewhat more populated, but it did not yet feel overwhelming. There
wasn’t the unbelievable crowding, shouting, pushing, and rudeness that exist today. The ambience
that had surrounded New York City was fading.
The overpopulation now is almost unbearable.”
“I feel so strongly about what is happening today
in regards to illegal immigration. I keep saying,
‘Oh Ellis Island, where are you when we need
you?’ I think it is unconscionable that we are the
only country that doesn’t secure its borders even
after an attack like 9/11. In my opinion, a country should close its borders immediately. Maybe
I feel so strongly about this issue because I am a
“I think we, as Americans, are being discriminated against in many ways. For example, when
employers and government agencies take jobs or
services away from our citizens and favor those
who are in our country illegally because they will
work for less than minimum wage. I have seen
first-hand and have had personal experiences,
where I feel my needs were pushed aside in favor
of someone who did not legally belong here.”
“I have personally experienced a number of
situations where the attitudes of undocumented
immigrants show their distain for America, its
citizens and our way of life. For example, at all
the little coffee shops and restaurants on Broadway, the waiters and busboys, were at one time,
all American whites and blacks working for
minimum wage. Slowly at first, and now it seems
much faster, things began to change. Now, these
jobs are filled by those here illegally, by those who
do not speak English, and will work for much less.
This is the attraction for the employers.”
“I have been insulted by workers who insist that
I learn Spanish when I patronized an establishment right around the corner from where I have
lived for 40 years! A woman I had never seen
before confronted me on the street, who started
talking about how wonderful HER country was,
and how she didn’t like America. I was stunned.
I responded, ‘Well, if your country is so wonderful, why do you not go back there?’ She said, ‘Oh,
I am! As soon as I get my social security!’ How
ironic is that! I was absolutely flabbergasted! On
a daily basis, I am amazed what new information
I hear about. A friend of mine was moving, and
told me there are actually ILLEGAL agencies that
will assist in placing ILLEGAL workers in jobs for
a certain set cost, based on the type of job! How
insane is that? How can this happen in a country of laws? This is America. The constitution
hasn’t changed, the government has. I gladly paid
the price to be able to call myself an American. I
earned the privilege and the right to live in the
greatest country in the world. I believe we should
all be held accountable, in the same way, for the
same reasons.”
“I have personally been in a situation years ago
where I sought help from a state agency. I waited
in line for hours just like everybody else. When I
finally got to the front of the line, I was told that
it was unlikely that I would get help because, ‘if I
would look around the room, I would notice that
hardly any of these people spoke English…THEY
needed the help - not me!’ What happened to
MY rights as a citizen? I actually wound up NOT
getting the help I needed, and I am an American
citizen.”
“Living daily life seems much distorted to me.
There