The Wednesday Play: The Immigrant Effect

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Hi Playmakers,

I grew up in a farm town of 2,000 people. One stoplight. Just a gas station, a couple of restaurants, and two small businesses I’ll never forget.

Our town convenience store was run by a Chinese family. Their kids were in my class. The store stayed open late, even on holidays, and it carried everything from milk to bandages. A few years later, a pizza place opened up, run by refugees from Iran. I didn’t understand what the word “refugee” meant at the time, but I knew their pizza was incredible, and they always treated me with kindness.

Those were the first entrepreneurs I ever knew. And as a kid, I just assumed business owners were immigrants. They were the ones who showed up early, stayed late, and built something from scratch. That was the model I saw.

Now I know there’s a reason it felt that way.