T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E
WHAT DO ALBERT EINSTEIN, SAMMY SOSA, DAVE MATTHEWS, HENRY KISSINGER, MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, ALEX TREBEK, MILA KUNIS AND JACKIE CHAN ALL HAVE IN COMMON?
The answer is, they were all born in other countries and immigrated to the United States. Their contributions to academia, education, sports, music and television have made them household names and the idols of the generations that follow them. As this Fourth of July is upon us, and we plan family barbeques and firework shows, these celebrations can sometimes be even more meaningful to the men and women who had to leave behind the homes and people they knew and risk everything to celebrate with us.
Texarkana has mixed within its crowds our very own examples of great contributors who first arrived as immigrants. Last year, Texarkana Magazine spent the month of July introducing you to some of them and allowing them to tell their stories through our Talk Tuesday digital platform. Each one is unique and beautiful, but the one thing each story has in common is a declaration of love and appreciation for the United States. Patriotism is not limited to those of us who were lucky enough to be born with the freedoms and opportunities that the
United States offers. It is felt in each word written by these great men and women who are Americans by choice. They are our neighbors and friends and just like Einstein, Sosa and countless others whose names are not so well known, they make this country and community better in countless ways. We are happy to take this opportunity, one year later, to retell these stories in print, and hope it will serve as a great reminder to us all that we truly live in the greatest nation on Earth.
BHAVIN PASTAKIA INDIA
CHRIS GAVRIEL GREECE
JOANNA & RALPH GARLITOS PHILIPPINES
MANJULA CARTER SRI LANKA
MARSHALL ALAM INDONESIA
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C O MM U N I T Y & C U L T U R E
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