Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about immigrants.
There is so much hate directed towards them. Yet they are no
different every other human being on this planet simply seeking to make a
better life for themselves. Who doesn’t want that? Also, being technical, if
you go far enough back, everyone is an immigrant (or rather a descendant of an
immigrant) to the country they call home.
The hatred seems to be caused by the belief the immigrants
drain resources without providing any use or benefit to their new country. When
in fact there are numerous cases where this couldn’t be further from the truth:
1) Albert Einstein – a man synonymous with the word
genius was an immigrant to the United States. Born in Germany, he eventually
moved to the US in 1933
2) Sergey Brin & Jan Koum – the co-founder of
Google and the co-founder of Whatsapp originated in Russia and Ukraine
respectively.
3) Steve Chen & Jawed Karim – the co-founders
of YouTube were born in Taiwan and East Germany respectively before immigrating
to the US
4) Levi Strauss – take a look at the button of any
top quality jean and you’ll most likely see the name of this German born
immigrant
5) Nikola Tesla – an inventor ahead of his time
whose creations form the basis for a good part of today’s modern gadgets and
who was dedicated to improving the lives of others.
6) David Ho – born in Taiwan and immigrating to the
US at the age of 12, Ho was a pioneer in the understanding and treatment of the
HIV/AIDS virus
7) Elizabeth Blackwell – she fought to become the
first female physician in the US as well as campaigning for women’s rights. The
hospital she opened still runs today.
8) Elisabeth Kubler-Ross – this Swiss born
psychiatrist faced tough opposition to revolutionise the world’s approach to
palliative care
9) Wafaa El-Sadr – born in Egypt, this global
health physician had a mission to help the poor. Founder of ICAP, she is
currently an adviser to the World Health Organisation
10) Chien-Shiung Wu – a key member of the Manhattan
Project, Chinese Wu was the first woman president of the American Physical
Society and received an honorary degree from Princeton
11) Madeline Albright – the first female Secretary
of State (and former ambassador to the UN) was born in what is now the Czech
Republic and immigrated to the US in 1948
12) Henry Kissinger – one of the US’s foremost
political icons, instrumental in shaping US foreign policy, he was born in
Germany before his parents came to the US to escape the rise of Nazism
13) Liz Claiborne – this renowned fashion designer hails
from Belgium. Her company was the first founded by a woman to make the Fortune
500 list. She is also an active environmentalist
14) Oscar de la Renta – this renowned designer hails
from the Dominican Republic yet is patronised by all the biggest names in showbiz
and politics
15) Carlos Santana – the founder of Santana was born
in Mexico before finding fame and a contract following Woodstock. He has since
been awarded a Lifetime
Achievement Award
16) Gloria Estefan – her family immigrated from Cuba
to avoid the revolution. They didn’t imagine the move being permanent, yet Gloria
went on to become a highly successful solo artist
17) Irving Berlin – the author of God Bless America,
along with several other well-loved classics, immigrated to the US from Russia
in 1893
18) Igor Stravinksy – this classical composer and
creator of the Rite of Spring was born in Russia and after immigrating to the
US finished one of his most famous pieces, Symphony in C
19) Bob Marley – moved to the US in 1966 to be near
his mother which started his interest in Rastafarianism. No immigration, no
Marley music
20) Grace Jones – coming from Jamaica as a small
child with her family, Jones broke gender and racial barriers, paving the way
for later artists such as Madonna, Bjork and Lady Gaga
21) Eddie van Halen – this all-American rocker was
actually born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the US as a child where he
eventually wound up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
22) Ieoh Ming Pei – Chinese born Pei designed that
Hall of Fame along with countless other buildings which made him one of the
world’s most sought after architects
23) Joseph Pulitzer – Hungarian Pulitzer not only
created his eponymous prize but also helped to keep the statue of liberty in
New York
24) John Muir – born in Scotland, Muir helped
preserve many of the US’s national treasures as well as helping to establish
Yosemite National Park
25) Andrew Carnegie – this hardworking businessman, who
at one point was the wealthiest person in the US, was also born to a working
class family in Scotland
26) Mary Harris Jones – born in Ireland before
immigrating to the US, Jones was a champion for unions and workers rights at
one time dubbed “the most dangerous woman in the country”
27) Freddy Adu – Ghana born footballer, Adu, was
just 14 when he signed his first contract. And he was only able to come to the
US because his mother won a green card lottery.
28) Mariano Rivers – one of the most respected
pitchers in Major League baseball is an immigrant from Panama. He and his wife
are also involved in a lot of philanthropic work.
29) Martina Navratilova and Sharapova – born in the
Czech Republic and Russia respectively, both became highly successful tennis
players and campaigners
30) Dikembe Mutumbo – this NBA star came from the Congo
with a plan to study medicine. Since retiring, he established a foundation to
improve the health of people in his home country
31) Dr Ruth Westheimer – Westheimer was born in
Germany. Both her parents were killed in the holocaust but she survived to
become a renowned sex expert with radio shows and books
32) Hedy Lamarr – once heralded as “the most
beautiful woman in the world”, this Austrian born actress developed the
technology that led to modern day wifi
33) Natalie Portman – Oscar winning actress, Natalie
Portman was born in Israel – the daughter of an American mother and Israeli
father – moving to America at the age of 3.
34) Mila Kunis – Another immigrant actress, Kunis
was born in Ukraine and when she first came to the US could not speak any
English
35) Sofia Vergara – Colombian born Vergara
immigrated to the US at the age of 26 and has spoken out about her difficulty
in becoming a citizen and the subsequent deportation of her brother
36) Penelope Cruz – Cruz also moved later in life
coming to the US from Spain at the age of 20 with a return ticket, which it
transpired she didn’t need.
37) Charlize Theron – born in South Africa, Theron
moved to the US to pursue a dancing career. When that dream died, she found a
new and extremely successful home in the film industry
38) Bruce Willis – action and comedy movie star
Willis was born in Germany and overcame a stutter to become one of Hollywood’s
leading men
39) Anthony Hopkins – Sir Anthony was born in Wales
but chose to make the US his official home in 2000. He was inspired to pursue
acting by fellow legendary Welsh thespian, Richard Burton.
40) Jackie Chan – born in Hong Kong, it took a
couple of goes for him to achieve fame in the US before eventually achieving
success even without ever become fully proficient in English
41) Audrey Hepburn – born the daughter a Dutch
baroness in Belgium, Hepburn moved to the UK and the US after the war left her
family impoverished and become an iconic actress
42) Guillermo del Toro – one of the most famous
filmmakers in the US was born in Mexico and went on to win an Oscar for his
2017 film The Shape of Water
43) Liam Neeson – former Guinness forklift driver
Liam Neeson hails from Northern Ireland and came to the US to pursue acting. He
is an outspoken advocate for justice for immigrants
44) Maureen O’Hara – this legendary 1940s actress
was a fierce campaigner for Irish immigrants ensuring that future citizens could
have Irish as an acknowledged nationality
45) Arnold Schwarzenegger – Born in Austria, he has
at various times been an actor, model, producer, director, activist,
businessman, investor, writer, philanthropist, former professional bodybuilder
and, of course, Governor of California.
This is just a handful – there are so much more (Google it –
you’ll see) but I think it provides an apt demonstration that it is
important to always remember that those who have the most to contribute to this
country aren’t always necessarily born within its borders.
There is also the fact that this misplaced hatred seems to
be based on a misconception (and in fact could be said to be an example of
gaslighting by a money-grabbing government) which I feel can be best exploded
with these memes.
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