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Close up photo of Madeleine Albright, a white woman with short blonde hair.

Madeleine Albright on immigrating to the United States

Madeleine Albright was a champion of democracy and the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Related Articles: Madeleine Albright , immigration , naturalization , DACA & the DREAM Act , Immigration

Transcript

Madeleine Albright was a champion of democracy who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1993–97) and the first female secretary of state (1997–2001). She was the author of numerous books and a professor at Georgetown. Early in her career, she worked at Encyclopaedia Britannica.
In this interview, Albright discusses how her status as an immigrant shaped her worldview.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: And the first time that this really happened was one of my favorite things to do is to give naturalization certificates. And the first time I did that was on July 4, 2000, at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home.
I figured since I had his job, I could do that. So I give this man his naturalization certificate. And then I hear him saying, can you believe it? I just got my naturalization certificate from the secretary of state. And so I found him, and I said, can you believe that a refugee is secretary of state? And so I love doing that. And I recently was at a dinner. And I was asked to describe myself in six words. And it is worried optimist, problem solver, grateful American. …and I am a grateful American. We came here when I was 11 years old. My father in order to escape communism, which had taken over Czechoslovakia. And all I wanted was to become a real American frankly.