A Monthly Inspirational Viewpoint of Life’s Journeys with Sonia Wignall.
Episode Fourty Three
The economic impact and consequential cost of denial
“Ruth, born in Moab, (the Moabite in the Bible), was the daughter in-law of Naomi, who followed Naomi back to Bethlehem and became an immigrant in the land. Boaz, a relative of Naomi, understood and honored Ruth’s journey and loyalty. He acknowledged her contribution, found her worthy, and married her. Her marriage to Boaz positioned her as “family” in the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Joseph, Son of Jacob born in Paddan Aram, Aram-Naharaim, (present-day Harran, Turkey), became a foreigner in Egypt, and because of his contribution, he was elevated to 2nd in command. He managed and stockpiled the resources that prepared the country for 7 years of famine. It was through him that his father, and all his father’s household migrated to Egypt and became major contributors to Egypt’s economy.
Unlike Ruth and Joseph, My family and I entered this beautiful land of the United States of America, as immigrants. This magnificent land of mixed cultures, economic, educational, social opportunities, heritage, and multi-colors of people became our new home.
When we arrived in the US, I was 5 years old, my sister was 8 and my beloved father became our single parent. This would be a new way of life for us all. We adjusted to our new land, and lived in a place of safety, opportunity and global generosity.
As a young child, the transition was not challenging for me. Like other immigrant groups, our family was welcomed by the immigrant community that landed here before us. They helped us through every facet of our settlement, and community engagements. They continued supporting us as we moved forward as a single parent household of three, my dad, my sister and I.
A huge measure of help came from my Aunt Nancy, the family Matriarch. She had come to the United States many years before we arrived. She had gotten married and divorced. She too was now a single parent with two children.
Aunt Nancy sponsored us here and also helped other family members in Cuba make their journeys abroad, or sustain them in their native land. Her level of compassion and generosity was staggering considering her very meager salary as a maid for a few very wealthy families in New York.
My aunt was a beautiful, strong and resilient woman. She was our “Harriet Tubman”.
She modeled and inspired us of what service to God and others looked like, and what was possible for us to do. She never saw or spoke about limitations. She stayed focused and intentional.
She once told me the story of getting fired from a maid job, when she told her boss that she had saved enough money to buy her own home. She expressed no bitterness. It was a story, a blip, along the way to home ownership. Her home was large. 3 stories, in a beautiful community.
She went back to school, added a night nursing job to her income, and kept at least two of her 4 bedrooms rented at all times.
Her home became the base. The community gathering place. Family, friends, food, music, parties, comfort, love. A place of refuge for many in transition. Her fridge, cupboards and storage closets were always full. Never lacking. On her kitchen table were items with notes of who to give it to. Anyone arriving to visit her at home with a car, left with a large or small package and an address to deliver to, someone in need. She gave constantly and unconditionally to her church, family, friends and community. She was one of the last to leave the church, making sure everyone that needed a ride home was paired with a driver from the church.
In contrast, to our voluntary arrival as immigrants an estimated 4 million enslaved black people were forcibly brought to the US as immigrants, to work. Many were also forcibly distributed to other nations. Although there is variation in reporting, it is estimated that by 1860, they produced a large portion of the US wealth. Still, even today, the economic contribution of enslaved people groups continues to be denied or seen as non-contributory.
The Debt Unpaid: How Enslaved Africans Created American Prosperity. – The Intellectualist https://www.clasp.org/blog/african-american-workers-built america/#:~:text=Black%20labor%20has%20been% 20foundational,such%20as%20cotton%20and%20tobacco.
The majority of those enslaved immigrant, transported during the transatlantic slave trade were from Central and West Africa. Those countries are rich in minerals and other commodities.
That same power, influence, resources, and economic impact of foreigners living amongst us today continues to grow. Their total economic contribution remains astounding.
According to “The American Immigration Council”, In 2022, immigrant households paid $579.1 billion in total taxes; that includes $35.1 billion in taxes paid by undocumented households. Immigrant households paid nearly one in every six tax dollars collected by federal, state, and local governments, helping fund a wide range of social services from public schools to food stamp programs and healthcare insurance for low-income families.
Despite their substantial contributions, many do not qualify for the benefits their taxes support, such as social security and medicare benefits or the earned income tax credit.
Taxes paid by undocumented immigrants also help pay for public higher education, yet undocumented immigrants are also often unable to reap the benefits through in-state tuition options.
In key swing states, undocumented immigrants are essential contributors to the economy, according to the latest data from 2022.
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/press-release/new-data-immigrants-driving -prosperity-in-united-states-2022/
The numbers are staggering when we combine the above “undocumented “immigrant contribution with the documented immigrant population contribution.
Another powerful measurable medium of economic contribution by immigrants in the US and globally, is Art.
In 2019, article, Sotheby’s reported “Around $2.2 billion has been spent on work by African American artists at auction over the past ten years”.
Going back to 2017, the most expensive art work sold by a US artis t was $110.5 million, although the artist is no longer living, his work continues to be in global demand.
The Artist was Jean Basquiat, the son of a Haitian immigrant.
Adding to that mind-blowing sale, but not standing alone is Nigerian US resident, Njideka Akunyili Crosby , Her painting, “The Beautiful One Series” sold for $3.4 million. Ethiopian born Mehretu, painting “Walkers With the Dawn”, sold for $10.7 million, and the list goes on. These are just a few examples of the economic contributions of immigrant families from Haiti, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, to US and global economies.
Bad Bunny Factor
During this year’s 2026 Superbowl, master influencer “Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio”, Stage name, “Bad Bunny”, entered the Superbowl stage with a streaming audience of 19.8 billion as of 2025. Not thousand, not millions … billions. That is measurable influence.
Mr. Benito was born in the Spanish nation of Puerto Rico, and is a US Citizen.
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His 2026 Super Bowl half-time show views averaged 128.2 million views, (2nd highest in its history). Addto that the global viewing and the total increases to 150 million.
According to ESPN, “the total social media consumption of Bad Bunny’s halftime show set a record of over 4 billion views after the first 24 hours.”
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47891761/super-bowl-lx-bad-bunny-half-fall-shy-ratings-records
This is astonishing considering his music is in Spanish. However, regardless of the language, the numbers speak for themselves.
We have to ask, “what caused the interest, the influence and the following?
The answer is simple: Community. “A message of love. A message of inclusion, A message that celebrates our differences and the variation of our cultures, and economies.” and our collective contributions.
Bad Bunny, (Mr. Benito), streaming numbers, his following, his influence, his swag, his understanding of community, tell us, no matter the language, or the country of origin, people want and “need” community. They are comfortable in mixed-cultural spaces. They are inspired and feel loved in the community. Home is community, family and friends is community, culture is community, music and language is community.
God is love and community. We are manifestations of God’s love and members of his community. Love and community are super powers. Both are influential spiritual forces and consequential.
“Anyone that does not know love, does not know God, for He is love (John 4:7-21 )
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“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”. 1 Corinthians 13:13
Should our borders be without order? Absolutely not.
God is a God of order. His way of life is sequential, “an operational system” A consequential choice.
The Spiritual Consequences of Denial
“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong . You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were stranger s in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:33-34 (ESV)
As long as we continue to allow ourselves to believe the narrative, that immigrants are more of an economic burden than economic contributors, we will have to forcibly deny to ourselves and others, their historical and current day economic impact and influence.
We will deny the spiritual, existential forces and purpose of their existence. We will do a “work around” the boundaries and laws of God, see and believe in some way, that some are better than others. Some are more valuable, and socially fit to belong than they are. We can reference as evidence the color of their skin, (which God himself intentionally created), their cultural differences, and or their country of origin. All can be used as disqualifiers or deniers of their economic impact, influence or importance. In other words we will try to ascend ourselves to take the place of God in the lives of our fellow sojourners and determine their worth today or in the future.
However, regardless of our thought process, God alone is the creator of all mankind, (all colors, economic, status, educational variations, nationalities, and cultures). We are all made in his image, and placed on this earth for HIS purpose, by His singular desire alone.
We bow down to him alone in reverence to his omnipotent spiritual force in our lives.
We cannot extinguish what God has called us to do with the Sojourners among us. We ourselves are only blessed through God’s grace. We will also be judged by the statues of his word and laws given to us by him to follow.
Neither God, nor his universal laws will ever change,
Any disregard for his laws will always be consequential for all of us, myself included. None will escape. When the time comes, His judgement of us may be far greater and longer lasting than anything we could ever have imagined for us and generations to come.
‘Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.’ Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen! ’ Deuteronomy 27:19
Sonia Wignall
Sonia M. Wignall is Co-Founder//Board Chair, Diaspora Global Foundation. A STEM Education Organization. www.leanintostem.org . She is also a Freelance Cultural and Lifestyle Writer. Her articles and monthly column “Perspective”, and “Perspective on the Arts” can be found here.