New Citizens Welcomed in Lincoln Ceremony at the Sheldon Museum
In a heartwarming ceremony held at the Sheldon Museum, 39 individuals took a significant step in their journeys by becoming American citizens. Among them were Maan Alfaddagh and his three sons, Yasir, Omar, and Ali, who experienced a seven-month wait from their citizenship interviews to their oath-taking day.
Al Zuhair, who had the privilege of taking her oath earlier in August 2025, shared that the waiting period brought about some anxiety until they were finally notified about the Friday ceremony. This event was one of several planned in Lincoln, with three more scheduled for 2026.
Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Deluca presided over the ceremony, marking the first time the event took place at the Sheldon Museum. Susan Longhenry, the museum’s director, highlighted the significance of the venue, connecting it to their ongoing exhibition, “Hyphen American: Intersections of Identity.” As participants explored the museum, they encountered diverse portraits of Americans, emphasizing the unique yet unified nature of American identity.
Longhenry expressed, “When you go up there and you see the main wall, the first one that you greet, there’s portraits of Americans, and they’re all very different, and that’s what we want you to think about, is that we all bring distinct backgrounds, ethnicities, aspects of our identity to this, but we are all Americans, and we are here to celebrate that.”
The ceremony also featured motivational words from Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, who praised the new citizens for their choice to join the community, stating, “We are better, safer, stronger, and richer in every sense of the word, because of new Americans like you who join our community and who belong here, which is why I want to thank all of you for choosing Lincoln and for choosing the United States.”
