Rankontre yon nouvo Ameriken - 'Mwen se yon imigran. Mwen se yon manman. … Mwen te kòmanse soti nan zewo.’

Stamford Defansè

By John Breunig (opinion)

If you want to feel a sense of appreciation for being an American on this Independence Day, talk to a new one.

This will be Alejandra Gomez’s first Fourth of July as a U.S. citizen. She’s a native Colombian, lived for 20 years in Venezuela, came to the United States six years ago and was sworn in at a ceremony in Hartford in March.