I am looking out on the East River, New York City. Marty, my wife, and I lived in New York for a number of years and I had gone to the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) once. So when I needed to get rid of an old knee (bone on bone) I went back to see its impressive cast of orthopedic specialists. I have been pleased.
But this is about what makes HSS so good. The cast at HSS is an international mix blended with a number of second generation Americans and beyond. They have been talented and considerate.
The newer arrivals on our shores, strivers all, help make the operation run like a digital clock with a friendly face. The doctors and their various specialist assistants look like a cast from the United Nations. People come from all over the world for a surgical stay.
But this is not about medicine; this is about people. America offers liberty which makes strivers essential. Skill and motivation is a necessary pairing regardless of your birthplace. And when America is working best at least a modicum of humility and generosity are in the cultural stew. America is always among the top countries in voluntary giving.
When Americans go shopping we mostly look for lower prices. American shopping attitudes enabled Walmart, Amazon and a range of Dollar stores. We work hard and specialize in not wasting money when we buy goods and services.
Immigrants are often the human drive that makes this work. From lawns to construction to logistics and storage—well you name it. Sure, there are a lot of hardworking Americans in fourth and fifth generation families and beyond—many of their leaders are contractors, farmers, retail owners and the like and certainly not resting on their laurels.
America is also fortunate to have a prosperous mix of talent and research centers that lead the tech industry. Check out the last names; you won’t find many West European names. The Asian influence has been especially pronounced. All in all when markets and talent are allowed to work we do very well.
We are now throwing people out of our country—we should keep in mind the estimate of undocumented immigrants (3.5%). So as we enforce laws lets not intentionally or unintentionally think we who have been here a long time are somehow superior. I don’t know many multi-generational Americans who have learned a new language or new social patterns or had to establish themselves without help from a parent or grandparent or family name. Or, a network of friends accumulated from elementary to post-secondary schools and club settings.
Over the years I have bought a lot of stuff that immigrants have built or serviced. Rarely have I been disappointed with the work or the price. And since we are all offspring of immigrants—we shouldn’t act like we just won a merit scholarship.
So lets not misunderstand how America became great. Today’s families were at the beginning immigrants and those that came after 1788 were encouraged and protected by a profound Constitution. Yes, striving immigrants traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to find freedom. And from-time-to-time we have been especially fortunate to have a government leadership class that understood both the joys and burdens of freedom.
By all means we should control our borders, but we should make sure our legal processes provide the accused with fairness. And the worst thing to do is foment ethnic hostility.
Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.
Linda Cades says
Thank you, Al. I agree completely. A couple of years ago, I needed cancer surgery, and I had it done at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. Because of a complication, I ended up staying for two weeks. I met people from all over the world who took great care of me: doctors, nurses, technicians, orderlies. All of them had come to study and/or work in the United States seeking better opportunities for their family, just like generations of immigrants before them.
If you are not a Native American, you are either an immigrant or descended from one. My family has been here since the 1640’s, and no one invited them either. Each generation of immigrants does the hard difficult work so their kids won’t have to. When the Francis Scott Key bridge went down last year, the six people killed were all immigrants. They were repairing potholes in the road, not glamorous work, but it helped every driver who needed to cross the bridge. We owe them and the generations of immigrants before them a debt of thanks. They build our roads and houses, pick and process our food, pick the crabs we enjoy at restaurants. They staff our nursing homes and take care of seniors and people with disabilities who need a little extra help.
We need them, and right now, they need us. Let’s be a real community and welcome and support them.
Cameron Mactavish says
Right on!
Bishop Joel Marcus Johnson says
Well said, sir. I’ve long admired your contributions to The Spy, and this one is no exception – it hits my heart. Though now retired, my ministry has continued in a backwater sort of way – as in “backwater bishop” – in that I am still caring for immigrants and refugees in this time of despair. Now too old to represent their cases in asylum hearings or in U.S. immigration court, my vocation is still very much in the heart. So that, when come the calls and the knocks on my door, I answer, and I listen and talk, and help. There are ways in which these good people can minimize their appearance. But I fear the worst is yet to come in roundups in their homes, workplaces, and schools. This will be so tragic, given the kindness of the Delmarva community over past decades. I fear that what we once said couldn’t happen here, may indeed.
Willard Engelskirchen says
I retired some 25 years ago from a position in industrial research. Many of my most talented co-workers were immigrants: India, S. Africa, Europe, Egypt, China via Hong Kong and Canada, Iran, and more.
These people are the lifeblood of research. At one point 60% of senior research management was foreign born. If we break this link, we will lose big time.
Wilson Dean says
As Al Sikes so eloquently points out, immigrants give the US vitality and innovation. Let’s not lose their contributions by reason of racial and ethnic bigotry.