A Hero's Memorial

Yesterday, I attended a hero's memorial service.  In attendance were Presidents (of companies) and celebrities (in the Gifted community).  Eulogies from family, friends, and colleagues. Tears and laughter.  

But, for reasons I will never understand, there was no media broadcasting this memorial on every channel even though this Alabama-native marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., adopted bi-racial children in the late sixties, and founded a global organization after the suicide of a young man that has now touched, improved, and saved millions of lives around the world. He was a pioneer who forged understanding and enlightenment. He worked hard to bring two sides of a debate together by listening, sharing, and finding common ground.

I first saw Dr. Webb (who insisited everyone just call him Jim) speak at an Arizona Association of Gifted and Talented conference in Tucson, AZ in 2009 or 2010.  Having just left my marriage and driven nearly 2,500 miles, I was, once again, struggling and failing to find a school that would not only accept my "differently wired" daughter, but honor her thirst for knowledge. In desperation, I attended the conference in hopes of finding a community (like the one I had just left at The Roeper School) who would understand and help guide me in this frustrating but vital search.

There were many other presenters, but when Jim took the stage he had a warmth that made you feel he was speaking directly to you and physically hugging you. His humor made you KNOW he understood.  Through that humor, he reassured me my child was perfect just as she was.  She didn't need to conform to what our (antiquated, failing) education system said was "right" or "normal." He made me see the beauty and 'awe'-someness of how her brain worked.  

Over the next decade, I would become something of a 'groupie' attending any and all conferences where he spoke.  I devoured his books finding words of understanding, encouragement, peace, and humor that helped me be a better parent and advocate for my amazing child.

When the request came to speak with him at an International Gifted Consortium event at Herberger Academy this past July, it felt like being asked to step on stage and sing with Aretha Franklin.  Yes, I can sing, but not like that!  Yes, I can speak about and advocate for gifted children, but not like JIM! 

So, while I had briefly spoken to him at conferences in the past - while buying books at The Great Potential Press table or asking questions in his breakout sessions, when I arrived he shook my hand and made me feel HE was honored to be speaking with me!  

As I answered panel questions or shared stories, his face lit up and made me feel I was saying something so important. He even encouraged me to write a book on giftedness and eating disorders saying, "I think this is a vital topic! We need more information out there!" Afterward, I did something I've NEVER done before (but will forever be thankful I did)...walked up and asked for a picture. He graciously agreed and his beautiful granddaughter snapped this picture.  

His legacy will continue educating, enlightening, advocating, and honoring gifted and twice-exceptional children and adults.  There will never be another Dr. James Thurman Webb, but may we all aspire to be just a bit more like Jim.  And, may we go forward and honor him by continuing his mission "...to empower families and communities to guide gifted and talented individuals to reach their goals: intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually" with compassion, inclusiveness, diversity, growth, gratitude, integrity, transparency, honesty, and responsible stewardship.


That will truly be a memorial that lives well beyond any television broadcast.

She's a citizen, but some might not believe her

7:34a this morning I called Senator Bowie's office & left a message. 

7:51a I reply back to a rather terse e-mail from the immigration office in Buffalo (received at 4:33a PST) which states:

My terse response states:

"The 800 number referred me to you. I’ve been attempting to get an appointment with my local immigration office for weeks. Unfortunately, living in Phoenix our office is always busy and with the recent DACA decision I may not be able to get in for months – long after my daughter has turned 18.

I have a call into my local senator. We’ll see where that goes."

8:10 I got a call back from Robin. Told her the situation and she said, "Let me see what I can do!"  She also asked I email the letter I wrote to Senator Bowie. 

8:20a Email sent to Senator Bowie's office.

8:52a Robin calls again to say she spoke with Maria Hoffman, Director of the Arizona Legislative Office of Family Advocacy. She can help me and will call Tuesday. 

9:52a I receive another email from the Buffalo office stating: 

WAIT!  Did you catch that? Let me pull out the important sentence.

"As you’ll read at the above links, your adopted child became a US citizen when she entered the United States in IR3 category on July 18, 2000."  

While a grammatically god awful sentence, it says Janan's a CITIZEN!  I call Nana with the good news!  EFF the CoC!  I have it STRAIGHT FROM IMMIGRATION - IN WRITING - with links to both federal and immigration documents that state she's a citizen!

I take myself for lunch.  

12:44p Maria Hoffman calls. Says she was planning to call Tues after court but had received my forwarded email from Senator Bowie's office. She apologized for the confusion, but she was originally just told this was an adoption issue - not an INTERNATIONAL adoption issue. That makes this fall under federal jurisdiction, not state. There’s nothing she can do. However, after reading my letter she placed a call to Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema on my behalf and they are awaiting my call. I'm told to ask for Bianca Castro. 

Walk back to my desk and my DESK phone rings - it's Officer Hotsoff of the Buffalo immigration office (yes, you read that correctly) stating she wanted to call me directly to answer my questions.  (Uh, guess I should have said "contacting my Senator" SOONER!)

She informs me:

She has read the emails between me and her office.  She felt it would be better to call and clarify, because "this is going to get really confusing."

1. Because my daughter came in AFTER the CCA went into effect, her office would never end up handling our case.
2. We fall into a 'gray' area between the pre-CCA children who fell under the old citizenship requirements and HAD to have a Certificate of Citizenship and the post-CCA implementation children who automatically receive FREE CoCs.  Her office processes any cases where families allege they didn't receive their CoC or where the CoC is lost for any reason.  
3. Children, like Janan, who came in during that short window of 2000-2004 on an IR-3 visa (like Janan), whose adoptions were complete (like Janan) WERE automatically citizens when they stepped onto U.S. soil, HOWEVER because of the way their social security numbers were entered into the system they don't show EXACTLY show as citizens.  
4. They show as IR-3 adoptees which TECHNICALLY means the same thing and just "...ten, five, or even three years ago would have been more than sufficient. However, in about the last year to year and a half, they've seen an increase in colleges and graduate school admission, employment, and driver's licenses or state IDs declined" without a CoC, so it has become a rather important document to have.
5. While Janan's ability to receive a U.S. passport also indicates her citizenship, it expires.  A CoC does not.
6. She knows $1,170 is a lot, but "you should know that amount is only going up."

She then proceeded to answer every other question in my original email (and some additional that came up while we spoke), apologized for all the confusion and run-around, and gave me her direct number to call should I have any further questions. 

My heart was both relieved (after all these months and contradictory information I FINALLY have clarity) and destroyed to learn that this CoC was necessary.  

However, Officer Hotsoff also told me there won't be a way for me to request Janan's CoC.  Because she's over 14, she has to personally complete and sign the paperwork, present herself to a local immigration office for an interview, and then (if approved) attend a swearing in ceremony.  I was told not to worry, that she can "wait until she's 52 to get the certificate, so long as she doesn't end up needing it before."  It's not imperative she get it before she turns 18. 

Well, now I have the answers I've been seeking for so long.  

2:13p I call Congresswoman Sinema's office and ask for Bianca Castro to inform her of my findings and "call off the dogs," so to speak.  She's not available. 

2:32p Bianca calls back. She had been awaiting my call, but didn't "have the details."  I gave her the Cliff Notes version (which, sadly, I realize YOU are not) and after I told her the story she said, "This is CRAZY! I think Congresswoman Sinema will want to hear about this.  Can you forward me the e-mail you sent to Senator Bowie's office?"  Uh, sure.

So, it's over.  But, maybe, it's not.  And, Janan's a citizen.  But, some people might not believe her.  With the current state of this country and ESPECIALLY the state of Arizona, that's a risk I'm not willing to take.  


Stay tuned...