He's walking from New York to L.A.

Constantino Diaz-Duran, a fellow at the Center for Social Cohesion at Arizona State University, recently became eligible for U.S. citizenship. To mark the moment, he was to set off today from his home in New York City. He intends to walk the entire way to Los Angeles to better get to know his adopted homeland. He explains at Zócalo Public Square.

I came to this country a decade ago from Guatemala, full of aspirations – none greater than being able to someday call myself an American....

Becoming an American citizen is about more than gaining the right to vote or a blue passport. By taking the Oath of Allegiance, I will be joining a nation, a community. I will become the “fellow citizen” of more than 300 million people who have gained that title either by being born here or – like myself – through naturalization.

Before I do this, I want to gain a better understanding of what it will mean to finally be an “American.” I also want to mark this occasion in a big way, as a defining, transformative milestone in my life. There will ultimately be paperwork involved, yes, but this is no jaunt to the DMV.

I am to become an American!

What did you do for the Fourth of July?