I am a first generation Indian immigrant who arrived in the United States when I was six years old, and my American citizenship application is currently in the processing stage.

However, I would consider myself an American citizen if asked to choose between the two countries. I have most of the rights guaranteed to American citizens simply by being on American soil and I carry out many of the responsibilities expected of one. The world I’ve grown up in over these past 11 years is America, and I am an American woman whose allegiance and identity lies with America.

According to Merriam-Webster, the first definition of a citizen is “a native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a government and is entitled to protection from it.” The second definition is simply “an inhabitant of a city or town.” Citizenship itself is a rather difficult word to define, but in my opinion, citizenship is more of a feeling of allegiance to a place than simply legal documents. To me, citizenship is a crucial part of one’s identity, which someone chooses. It means to have a sense of belonging to a place, to swear fealty to a community and acknowledge its influence on you and your identity.

I look forward to finally being able to call myself an American citizen after spending most of my life in this country. However, the first and second definitions given by Merriam-Webster are not mutually exclusive. Every single person in the world is a citizen of their town, city, state: their overall community. They are members of their communities, and their opinions, rights, and more all matter. When broadening the definition of citizenship from legal documents to involvement in a community, there is much more consideration for all members of society, including immigrants and temporary workers. A community is made up not just of its registered citizens but of all the people within it.

Being a responsible citizen is possible without being legally defined as a citizen of the country. According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a responsible citizen needs to respect laws, participate in the community, pay taxes, stay informed about communal happenings, and more.

The rights guaranteed to citizens are also shared by non-citizens. The protections of the Bill of Rights, which have been abridged on the official website of the government, apply to every person who comes into the United States. These are guaranteed, aside from special circumstances such as wartime. As a non-citizen youth advocate, I can participate in my local community by attending council meetings, making public comments, working with advocacy clubs at school, and more. Respecting others, respecting laws, paying taxes, and supporting the Constitution are all guidelines given to everyone who enters the country. The only responsibilities a non-citizen of America cannot uphold are serving on a jury and voting. Even someone born a citizen of the United States who is not civically engaged, or even violates laws, is still considered a citizen.

When the definition of a community expands to the world, the idea of being a global citizen comes into play. “Global citizenship is the umbrella term for social, political, environmental, and economic actions of globally minded individuals and communities on a worldwide scale,” according to the United Nations' website. Global citizenship is a concept that has existed for a long time but has gained popularity in recent years. If citizenship is a sense of allegiance to a place, global citizenship is a sense of allegiance toward the whole world. In public schools in the American state of California, students are encouraged to become global citizens by learning about international issues in a nuanced manner. Learning about global citizenship encourages students to become responsible citizens of not just their communities but also the world. The concept of being a global citizen means learning about the rest of the world and understanding your role in it.

It's important to realize, however, that citizenship is something that is chosen. A person born in one country can choose to obtain citizenship in a different country by immigrating. A person can choose not to be a responsible citizen and still hold their legal citizenship. A person has control over what being a citizen means to them, and how much it means to them. Citizenship is a choice, whether using the first definition of having allegiance to a government or the second of simply being an inhabitant of a place. Every person values citizenship to different extents.

Each of us is a citizen of a community, a citizen of a country, and a citizen of the world. A person's identity contains the intersections of the many communities that are a part of who they are. Similar to the concept of being a global citizen and working toward the betterment of the entire world, a responsible citizen of a community works to improve it. I choose to be a responsible citizen of the United States because I value citizenship deeply. Until I obtain legal American citizenship, I shall perform my duties as a responsible citizen of my community and my country.

Sources:

“Global Citizenship.” United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/global-citizenship.

“Should I Consider US Citizenship?” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Last reviewed/updated July 5, 2020. https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learn-about-citizenship/should-i-consider-us-citizenship.