With thanks from a grateful nation

Most years, I enjoy looking at the best of/worst of lists to relive the year. This year I’m picking through the ashes for the glimmers of hope. To that end, Stuart Anderson from Forbes lists “the most inspiring immigrants.” My favorites:

• The vaccine makers.  “Moderna’s leaders, two cofounders and critical scientific personnel are immigrants, as are the chief executive of Pfizer and a key scientist (Katalin Karikó) who made a crucial breakthrough on messenger RNA,” as noted in a December 2020 article. Even the founder of Pfizer was an immigrant.
• Doctors and nurses. More than 28% of physicians (281,000) and 15% of registered nurses (570,000) in America are foreign-born, according to a National Foundation for American Policy report.
• Essential workers.  During the pandemic, immigrants picked crops, delivered goods and assisted in providing healthcare to Americans. Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal, wrote: “It is the newest Americans, immigrants, and some are here illegally. They worked through an epidemic and kept America going. Some in the immigration debate have argued, ‘They have to demonstrate they deserve citizenship’ – they need to pay punitive fines, jump through hoops. ‘They need to earn it.’ Ladies and gentlemen, look around. They did. Here is where the debate is going. When it’s over, if you can show in any way you worked through the great pandemic of ’20, you will be given American citizenship. With a note printed on top: ‘With thanks from a grateful nation.’”

MHC