Pedro Pascal and World Bank’s Ajay Banga amongst these named to Carnegie’s 2023 Great Immigrants listing

NEW YORK (AP) — World Bank President Ajay Banga, Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan, singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette and “The Mandalorian” star Pedro Pascal are on this 12 months’s Great Immigrants listing introduced Wednesday by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Since 2006, the muse has assembled an annual listing of notable naturalized American residents to have fun the contributions immigrants make to the nation and the way they strengthen democracy.

“These are extraordinary people,” stated Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York and a local of Ireland who’s a naturalized citizen herself. “Presenting all these amazingly positive stories of people who’ve contributed hugely to American life I think is important every year.”

However, she acknowledges that the problem of immigration has develop into extra politicized.

“I do think there is a growing sense that the numbers of migrants are somehow getting out of hand — and this is not unique to the U.S.,” Richardson instructed The Associated Press in an interview. “So, we are very keen to suggest looking at immigrants through a different lens.”

The 35 honorees on this 12 months’s listing hail from 33 international locations on six continents and are leaders in every thing from enterprise and philanthropy to schooling and the humanities.

Daniel Lubetzky, finest generally known as the founder and former CEO of Kind Snacks, in addition to his appearances as an entrepreneur on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” stated he was proud to be on the listing and an immigrant from Mexico.

“For me, the United States is a nation of immigrants and we need to remember that,” he stated. “We need to celebrate that. And we need to contribute — every one of us — to keep that dream alive.”

Lubetzky, who offered Kind to meals large Mars for an estimated $5 billion in 2020, is working to do his half by his philanthropy. He focuses on lowering polarization by initiatives just like the community-building motion Starts With Us and The Lubetzky Family Foundation’s Futures of the Free World program, which helps constructing democracy all over the world.

“Authoritarianism and extremism are now rampant across the world, and the threats against democracy are the worst in my lifetime,” he stated. “But I also have enormous conviction that it will turn around.”

Grammy-winning singer Angelique Kidjo, who fled the dictatorship in her homeland of Benin for France, stated immigrants, particularly those that have escaped repressive regimes, treasure the United States as a result of they perceive what’s at stake.

“As imperfect as our democracy is in America, we have to work to make it better for everybody,” stated Kidjo, who received the Polar Music Prize earlier this 12 months for the worldwide influence of her music. She stated those that are keen to threat American democracy as a result of they’re indignant or due to petty issues is “insulting to the point of this country.”

“America would never have existed without immigrants,” Kidjo stated.

She stated she is pleased to be honored as an immigrant, and now a naturalized citizen, but in addition feels a duty to make use of the award to make a distinction.

“It’s always about trying to find and reach out to people that I can work with to advance women’s rights, human rights and our democracy,” she stated.

On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis unveiled his immigration plan which incorporates amending the U.S. Constitution to finish the observe of routinely granting citizenship to these born within the United States, an concept additionally proposed by former President Donald Trump. “Dangling the prize of citizenship to the future offspring of illegal immigrants is a major driver of illegal migration,” the Florida governor stated in his “ Stop the Invasion ” plan. “It is also inconsistent with the original understanding of 14th Amendment, and we will force the courts and Congress to finally address this failed policy.”

Jeremy Robbins, govt director of the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit that works to make folks extra accepting of immigration, stated there are at present two very totally different narratives about immigration within the nation: “It is an opportunity to strengthen the country,” and “It is a threat.”

“We talked to many Americans and they believe both those narratives,” Robbins stated. “Most Americans believe that immigration has been great for America, but they’re nervous about the immigration that’s coming now.”

According to his group’s analysis, immigrants to the United States launch companies at the next fee than the general inhabitants, with 3.2 million immigrant entrepreneurs producing $88.5 billion in annual earnings.

Author Min Jin Lee, whose novel “Pachinko” was a National Book Awards finalist, stated she was honored to be on the Carnegie listing as a result of “it’s an honest look at America.”

“There’s this thinking that immigrants are yellow, black, and brown people from somewhere else and ‘they have all these needs,’ rather than ‘they have all these assets,’ ” stated Lee, who emigrated from South Korea along with her household when she was a baby. “I think that this list is a really good reflection of our assets, what we bring to the table, and how we make the team stronger.”

Lee stated that anti-immigrant political rhetoric is basically a distraction from financial inequality and ongoing systemic racism.

“Toxic rhetoric against immigrants really forgets the entire history of America, which is that without immigrants, we have nothing,” she stated. “I’m really grateful that the Carnegie Corporation of New York is bringing back the centrality of immigration as a force for good in the United States.”

Robbins stated the Carnegie listing is necessary as a result of compelling tales change extra minds than financial knowledge.

“Every year, Carnegie lifts up these stories,” Robbins stated. “This is a person. This is their life. And it’s not just that they were successful, but America is stronger because of it. I think that is hugely powerful.”

———

2023’s GREAT IMMIGRANTS

The Carnegie Corporation of New York’s 2023 Great Immigrants are: Wesaam Al-Badry, photographer, initially from Iraq; Ana Lucia Araujo, Howard University professor, Brazil; Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, University of California, Irvine professor, Cyprus; Ajay Banga, World Bank president, India; Jean-Claude Brizard, Digital Promise CEO, Haiti; Betty Kwan Chinn, Betty Kwan Chinn Homeless Foundation founder, China; Ghida Dagher, New American Leaders CEO, Sierra Leone; Daniel Diermeier, Vanderbilt University chancellor, Germany; Miguel “Mike” B. Fernandez, MBF Healthcare Partners CEO, Cuba; Maria Freire, biophysicist, Peru; Nina Garcia, Elle editor in chief, Colombia; Timnit Gebru, Distributed AI Research Institute founder, Ethiopia; Karen González, immigrant advocate, Guatemala; Azira G. Hill, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Talent Development Program co-founder, Cuba; Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate, Poland; Guido Imbens, Stanford University professor and Nobel Laureate, Netherlands; Angélique Kidjo, singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Benin; Bernard Lagat, champion runner, Kenya; Min Jin Lee, writer, South Korea; Ted Lieu, U.S. congressman, Taiwan; Karen Lozano, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley professor, Mexico; Daniel Lubetzky, Kind Snacks and Starts With Us founder, Mexico; J. Patrice Marandel, Los Angeles County Museum of Art former chief curator of European artwork, France; Stephen Michael, U.S. Army Brigadier General (ret.) and UBS senior govt, Guyana; Alanis Morissette, singer-songwriter, Canada; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, World Trade Organization Director-General, Nigeria; Pedro Pascal, actor, Chile; Susan Polgar, Chess Grandmaster, Hungary; Ke Huy Quan, actor, Vietnam; Helen Quinn, Stanford University professor, Australia; Julissa Reynoso, U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, Dominican Republic; Oscar A. Solis, tenth Bishop, Diocese of Salt Lake City, Philippines; Ali Soufan, The Soufan Group CEO, Lebanon; Inge G. Thulin, former 3M Company CEO, Sweden; Ponsi Trivisvavet, Inari CEO, Thailand.

_____