On Citizenship Day, let’s reflect on what really made America great | Opinion

I became a naturalized citizen when I was 14 years old. My family and I had moved from India to Kentucky so that my brother could get the education he needed at the DePaul School in Louisville. Even though my parents were educated and spoke perfect English, they couldn’t find jobs. They ended up buying a small corner grocery store and built our life in America from those humble beginnings.

Ours is a quintessential immigrant story, one that is repeated in hundreds of similar stories all over Kentucky. Many who now call Kentucky home had much more arduous journeys, as refugees or asylees fleeing persecution or genocide, as survivors of domestic abuse and violence, as children who were separated from their parents or had to endure years of living in the shadows until programs like DACA allowed them to simply exist and work lawfully in our country.

As a child, I was blissfully unaware of our difficult and complex U.S. immigration system. Having practiced in immigration law for the past 15 years, I know the incredible stress—both emotional and financial—that accompanies even the most straightforward of cases.

Last week, I helped a recently resettled Congolese mother and her three daughters apply for their permanent residence (green cards). She had spent the past 26 years in a refugee camp before coming to America in 2023. Each one of her daughters had been born and had lived their entire lives in the camp.

The week before, I was privileged to attend a naturalization ceremony where nearly 100 immigrants and refugees became U.S. citizens. Joy and pride filled the room; it was the most tangible expression of the American Dream that one can experience. Hopefully, that mother and her three daughters will become citizens by the next Census in 2030 and experience that joy and pride for themselves.

New Americans—naturalized citizens like myself—are now the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. electorate. According to the Pew Research Center , nearly 1 in 10 eligible voters in the 2020 election were naturalized citizens, a significant increase over the past two decades. Between 2000 and 2020, the number of immigrant eligible voters grew by 93%, compared to just 18% growth among U.S.-born voters. Naturalized citizens are playing a pivotal role in elections across the country, not in states with large immigrant populations, but also right here in Kentucky.

Tuesday, Sept. 17 is Citizenship Day, and it is a reminder to all of us that our rights, including the right to vote, are hard-won and precious, never to be taken for granted.

Citizenship, however, is not just about voting. It’s about staying engaged — whether through volunteering, attending community meetings, or simply being informed about the issues that affect our society. Civic engagement doesn’t begin and end on Election Day. It’s the small, everyday actions that help us build stronger, more resilient communities.

Citizenship is not a passive state — it’s an ongoing commitment. Our participation today ensures that future generations can continue to enjoy the same rights and opportunities we do.

So, as we reflect on what it means to be a citizen, let’s commit to being active participants in our democracy. If you’re not yet registered, make sure you are. If you haven’t been involved, find ways to contribute to your community. Above all, remember that your voice matters—whether at the ballot box or in everyday civic life. Together, we can help shape a future that reflects the ideals that we all hold dear.

Nima Kulkarni is the Executive Director of the New Americans Initiative, a nonprofit organization focused on ensuring every eligible immigrant in Kentucky is naturalized and registered to vote. She is also an immigration attorney and has served as the State Representative for District 40 in Louisville since 2019.