THE AMERICAN IMMIGRANT
SYNOPSIS
CONCEPT
With spotlights on public figures, blue-collar workers and everything in between, The American Immigrant is a poignant reminder of the significance of
immigrants in the building of our nation.
Immigration is currently one of the most discussed social and political topics in the United States.
With many United States' citizens unaware of the human impact immigrants have and will continue to make, the goal is to engage people with these powerful stories and enhance the understanding one has of the necessity and the prosperity that comes from our nation's immigrants. The book
is not designed to be a current guide to policy.
There are 70 million immigrants in the United States today. Currently One in four U.S. citizens are
immigrants or the children of immigrants, but the stories of these immigrants are data with a soul.
Each story of fleeing persecution, finding freedom and forging personal success will help the data
connected to immigration come to life.
The American Immigrant will educate us about the powerful social contributions of immigrants
and help us understand that immigrants are here to serve and improve our country.
A large majority of immigrants are extremely motivated to succeed. They want to be Americans and
contribute to our society. They’re incredibly grateful to be in America because of the experiences
they have endured in their home countries.
PUBLISHER
The book is being published by Elevate Publishing in a collaborative partnership with the Gephardt
Group.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Foreword by Prominent Cultural Leader
2. Preface by Dick Gephardt
3. The History and Value of Immigration in America
4. Profiles of Immigrants
Category 1: Immigrants who contribute to society through indispensable work and contribution (manual labor, taxis, etc.).
Category 2: Dramatic escape from native country with adaptation and success in America.
Category 3: Routine immigration from native country with tremendous success in America.
Category 4: Children of immigrants having success in America as a second-generation
American.
Category 5: Celebrities with an immigration story.
5. Conclusion
6. Afterword by Prominent Cultural Leader
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Elevate Publishing is utilizing staff writers for a lot of the work, but the listed authors on the book
will be Dick Gephardt and Mark Russell.
HONORABLE RICHARD “DICK” GEPHARDT is an American politician who
served as a United States Representative from Missouri from 1977 to
2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was House Majority Leader
from 1989 to 1995 and Minority Leader from 1995 to 2003.
Since his retirement from politics, Dick has served President and CEO of
Gephardt Group. He enjoys strong bipartisan relationships in the House
of Representatives, serves as a trusted advisor to senior officials in the
Administration and on Capitol Hill, and has counseled numerous CEOs
during negotiations with labor. He has been featured in national publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The
Washington Post, National Journal, Roll Call, The Hill and Time.
MARK RUSSELL is the CEO of Elevate Publishing. A long-time advocate
of international human rights, Dr. Mark Russell has worked in economic
development initiatives around the world and in the United States.
A traveler to over 70 countries and an author of over 70 publications,
Mark is passionate about clearly communicating stories and ideas that
add to the beauty and diversity of humanity. He lives in Boise, Idaho with
his wife, Laurie, and their two children.
DIVERSITY IN PROFILES
We are intentionally emphasizing diversity in our profiles. We want women and men from a wide
range of ethnic, religious and national backgrounds. We are also profiling people who contribute
to society in a broad range of ways – from the manual laborer to the Ivy-league trained physician
to the successful executive and any other story that illustrates this diversity.
CATEGORIES OF PROFILES
We believe there are several potential angles (categories) that will capture people’s attention
regarding immigrants.
Category 1: Dramatic escape from native country with adaptation and success in America.
Category 2: Celebrities with an immigration story.
Category 3: Routine immigration from native country with tremendous success in America.
Category 4: Children of immigrants having success in America as a second generation American.
THE VALUE TO EACH CATEGORY:
Category 1 shows the exceptionally difficult circumstances from which immigrants flee, and what
they have to do to adapt in America.
Category 2 will have a celebrity interest hook for the reader and show that many of the largest
contributors to our culture have been immigrants.
Category 3 shows that many of the immigrants from neighboring and other countries are positive,
hardworking citizens who contribute greatly to our society and culture.
Category 4 shows that the children of all types of immigrants are intelligent, dedicated and powerful contributors to our economy.
IMMIGRANT PROFILES
Below is an appealing and potential list of American immigrants whose stories of escaping persecution,
overcoming poverty and discrimination, and fighting to achieve the “American dream” are both rich
and compelling.
BARKHAD ABDI | ACTOR
BORN: APRIL 10, 1985
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
Actor Barkhad Abdi fled his native country with his family when he was 7 years old. He lived in
Yemen for several years before moving to the United States. Abdi worked as a limo driver and DJ
before landing his first film role. In Captain Phillips (2013), he starred opposite Tom Hanks as the
leader of a group of Somali pirates who hijack a container ship.
Barkhad Abdi is the son of a teacher, but he was unable to attend primary school because of the
civil war that erupted in his native land in 1991. At the age of 7, Abdi fled with his family to Yemen to escape the violence.
Entire Bio: http://www.biography.com/people/barkhad-abdi-21436627
YASIEL PUIG | BASEBALL PLAYER
BORN: DECEMBER 7, 1990
CIENFUEGOS, CUBA
Puig was a 2012 Cuban defector who fled Cuba with his girlfriend and friend. In order to escape
without being seen by the authorities, Puig had to trek through the jungle until he finally reached
the strip of land where a vessel was waiting to smuggle him into Mexico. He went through a series
of trials, including being sold to a man who required 20 percent of Puig’s earnings for his career
in the MLB. Puig plays from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed him on June 28, 2012.
Entire Bio: http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/10781144/no-one-walks-island-los-angeles-dodgers-yasiel-puig-journey-cuba
ZAINAB SALBI | HUMANITARIAN, AUTHOR, MEDIA COMMENTATOR
BORN: SEPTEMBER 1969
BAGHDAD, IRAQ
Salbi was born in 1969 in Baghdad, Iraq. Her father worked as personal pilot of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Experiencing immediate psychological abuse to her family from Hussein,
Salbi chose to dedicate her adult life to the women around the world.
She moved to the United States at the age of 19. Salbi’s experience with the Iran–Iraq War sensitized her to the plight of women in war worldwide. She has written and spoken extensively on the
use of rape and other forms of violence against women during war. Her work has been featured in
major media outlets including seven times on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the Washington Post.
In 1995, President Bill Clinton honored Salbi at the White House for her humanitarian work in
Bosnia.
Entire Bio: http://www.zainabsalbi.com/about-me/
DAVID TRAN | CEO HUY FONG FOODS | SRIRACHA
BORN: 1945
SOUTH VIETNAM
When North Vietnam’s communists took power in South Vietnam, David Tran, a major in the South
Vietnamese army, fled with his family to the U.S. After settling in Los Angeles, Tran couldn’t find
a job — or a hot sauce to his liking. So he made his own by hand in a bucket, bottled it and drove
it to customers in a van. He named his company Huy Fong Foods after the Taiwanese freighter
that carried him out of Vietnam. Even if you’re not a hot-sauce enthusiast, you may find yourself a
little watery-eyed over the story of David Tran, the 68-year-old chief executive of Huy Fong Foods.
The company’s Rooster logo, which gave rise to the sobriquet “cock sauce,” is Tran’s Zodiac sign.
Entire Bio: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/smart-news/how-a-vietnamese-refugeebuilt-the-multi-million-dollar-sriracha-hot-sauce-empire-25106345/
ISABEL ALLENDE | WRITER AND NOVELIST
AUGUST 2, 1942
LIMA, PERU
Isabel Allende is a Chilean journalist and author born on August 2, 1942, in Lima, Peru. Her
best-known works, which include the novels The House of the Spirits and City of the Beasts, are
written in the style of magic realism, which uses fantasy and myth to override time and place.
The niece and goddaughter of Salvador Allende, the former president of Chile, Allende started her
writing career as a journalist. Several months after her uncle’s assassination and the overthrow of
Chile’s coalition government in 1973, Allende left Chile and found refuge in Venezuela. Her first
novel, The House of the Spirits (1985), which arose directly out of her exile, became a worldwide
bestseller and critical success.
Entire Bio: http://www.biography.com/people/isabel-allende-9181801#synopsis
ANDY GARCIA | ACTOR
BORN: APRIL 12, 1956
HAVANA, CUBA
Andy Garcia was born on April 12, 1956, in Havana, Cuba. Political upheaval in that country
forced his family to Miami when he was a child. After college, Garcia moved to Hollywood to pursue acting. In 1983, he made his film debut in the baseball film Blue Skies Again. Garcia’s big
break came in 1987, when he landed a significant role in the blockbuster film The Untouchables,
starring Kevin Costner.
Two years after Garcia was born, Cuba became embroiled in revolution, and in January 1959, Fidel Castro assumed power in that country. Garcia’s father lost his property as a result of Castro’s
confiscation of land from private owners. In 1961 the U.S. government backed a failed invasion
of Cuba by anti-Castro forces. In the midst of this political turmoil, when Garcia was 5 years old,
he and his family moved to Miami, Florida.
Entire Bio: http://www.biography.com/people/andy-garcia-9542439#early-life
AWOT HAIL | SOUS CHEF
ERITREAN
Growing up, the Eritrean War of Independence was all Awot Haile knew. The 30-year-long war
ravaged Awot’s childhood when an errant bomb killed his mother when Awot was only 10 years
old. After that, he was left to care for his little sister, working whatever odd jobs he could find.
Hardship struck again when a heavy container used to feed animals fell on his right leg during
work. Because he was not able to visit a doctor, he used traditional medicine, rubbing hot oil and
water on his legs, bandaging it himself. In later years, he was forced to use a brace on his leg,
which never healed properly.
In May 1998, border issues sparked yet another war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The Eritrean
government tried to force Awot to join the army, despite the fact that he had a bad leg and the
responsibility of caring for his siblings. With no other choice, Awot fled to Ethiopia, where he was
placed in a refugee camp with 10,000 other displaced Eritreans. In the camp, Awot baked and
sold bread to try and earn what little money he could. Even though it wasn’t much, Awot enjoyed
doing what he could to help others. Six years later, at the age of 30, he was separated from his
family but he finally was able to relocate to the United States. In the future, he hopes to be able
to help others learn from his passion for cooking and eventually re-unite with his sister.