Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1538147
86 maconmagazine.com | August/September 2025 When a federal process hits home T H E N E W A M E R I C A N S STORY BY SUSANNAH COX MADDUX | PHOTOS BY JEROME GRATIGNY L ast year, Judge Tillman E. "Tripp" Self III asked me to join him at the United States Naturalization Ceremony here in Macon. Conducted by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, " naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is conferred upon a foreign citizen or national" after fulfilling the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), according to the district. As I stepped into the courtroom on April 9th, I saw the anticipation, heard the sounds of young children… being young children, and felt the abundant nerves surrounding the 22 candidates for citizenship, representing 15 countries. If you've ever stood before a judge in a courtroom on foreign land, perhaps you can understand the layers of energy filling that room. I stood on the land I was born on and witnessed countless stories I've never lived, and was reminded I did not have to work to receive the ultimate result of citizenship. This April ceremony marked Judge Self's first as the presiding judge, but it was clear it was already a meaningful job duty. After the proceedings, he had the privilege of being the first to welcome these newest U.S. Citizens. He smiled with a knowing pride, and as he spoke, his voice cracked. "This is a great day. This is my favorite thing to do, by far. This makes up for all the sentencings…for everything bad that goes on, because everybody leaves here happy," he said in a conversation moments after. "What makes me so happy is that… as an American, we didn't get a choice. We were that lucky that we were born A naturalization ceremony for new citizens in Macon this April.