SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The New York State Fair celebrated New American Day with 51 people from 32 different countries participating in a naturalization ceremony on the fairgrounds.
“I’m just glad to be here because I feel like now I’ll be able to include myself in those conversations of people who are born in America, even if I’m not born in America, but I’ve received my citizenship today and that is a big achievement for me,” said Selaci Butoto, who emigrated from Congo in 2015.
Butoto has two sisters and six brothers, and his mother has cared for them as a single parent, he said.
“We basically were running away from conflict, looking for a better life, and she just took a leap of faith to see how life could be for us,” he said…