B.W. COOK
Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright addressed a gathering
this week at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach on behalf
of the Merage Foundation for The American Dream.
"I had the honor of attending a naturalization ceremony in New
York in 1998, witnessing immigrants take the oath of allegiance. It
happened to be the 50th anniversary of my own arrival in America,
which occurred on Nov. 11, 1948," said the woman who served under
President Bill Clinton. "After the event, a man from Ethiopia came up
to me and said, 'Only in America could a new citizen, a man from
Ethiopia, meet the secretary of state.' I replied: 'Only in America
could a woman, an immigrant from Czechoslovakia, become the secretary
of state.'"
The Merage Foundation for The American Dream is concerned with
turning possibilities into the promises of tomorrow. Albright fronted
a presentation supported the dream and leadership of Iranian-American
immigrant and businessman Paul Merage, his wife Lilly and their
philanthropic family. Merage welcomed Albright and a host of
distinguished guests with a message.
"This is about building opportunity for immigrants to the United
States," Merage said. "It's about giving back so that others may
realize their dreams in a country that makes dreams possible."
The positive message was taken a step further by Albright.
"The American dream comes down to people, and the fundamental
difference that opportunity creates in the lives of individuals and
families." Albright said. "Yet some feel threatened. Some believe
that the day their family arrived in America, the door was closed."
The diminutive woman in a navy blue suit with a large pin on her
lapel, fashioned after the American flag, went on to say: "There are
those who fear that America is losing it's unique identity, it's
character, as a result of immigration. In fact, it is the opposite.
While every wave of immigration in difficult times throughout
American history has been met by such warnings, immigrants are not a
burden. They come to America as dreamers and as doers.
"We are all equal shareholders in The American Dream, whether we
came in the 17th century or just arrived in the 21st."
Her address was brief and to the point. Albright told the
audience: "We must not become consumers of liberty, but rather
defenders of liberty. We must participate in our democracy."
Quoting President Harry S. Truman, Albright reflected on her own
beginnings when, as an 11-year-old, her family fled Prague,
