Carnegie Corporation of NY honors several Indian Americans on its 2024 list of “Great Immigrants”

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The Carnegie Corporation of New York announced on June 27, 2024, its annual list of Great Immigrants, honoring 24 naturalized citizens, among them several Indian Americans, “whose contributions have enriched our society and strengthened our democracy.”

Every Fourth of July since 2006, the philanthropic foundation has sponsored Great Immigrants, Great Americans, a public awareness campaign that celebrates immigrants’ vital role in American life.

The 2024 Class of Great Immigrants is comprised of naturalized citizens from 16 countries, including at least 4 of Indian ancestry, one of them a Nobel Laureates, rubbing shoulders with rap musicians, and high profile techies, among others.

Indians on the list include those who trace their ancestry to India but also one from another country.

The honorees include:

Abhijit Banerjee (India) The Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT, who  won the Nobel Prize in economics for his work in developing an experimental approach to alleviating global poverty;

Dr. Ashish Kumar Jha (India) Dean, School of Public Health, Brown University, who was the White House pandemic coordinator;

Premal Shah (India) A social entrepreneur, who has spent his career building microfinance companies to alleviate social problems, from global poverty to the transition to solar;

Eboo Patel (India) Founder and president of Interfaith America, who works with governments, universities, private companies, and civic organizations to promote cooperation across religious differences;

and The Honorable Raj Panjabi (Liberia) Global Healthcare Leader, Entrepreneur, and Former White House Official

“The 24 Americans honored today serve as a reminder of the economic and societal benefits that each new generation of immigrants brings to our country and the richness of talent, skills, and achievements they contribute to our democracy,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York and a naturalized American citizen, born in Ireland. “In honor of our founder, Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, we celebrate these extraordinary individuals who have made notable contributions to American society.”

The Carnegie Corporation quoted the American Immigration Council, a Corporation grantee, which has reported that immigrants comprise 13.8 percent of the U.S. population, more than half of whom are naturalized citizens. They account for 22.6 percent of the nation’s entrepreneurs, 23.1 percent of its STEM workers, and 15.6 percent of its nurses.

Since 2006, the Corporation has named more than 740 Great Immigrants, forming one of the largest online resources of its type, the organization said. The 2024 honorees, the 19th class in the program, will be recognized with a full-page public service announcement in the New York Times on the Fourth of July and through tributes on social media.