In May 2023, George Mason University honored philanthropist Diane Portnoy with an honorary doctor of humane letters, given in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to society and decades of service in support of immigrants and refugees.
Founder and CEO of The Immigrant Learning Center (ILC), Portnoy is a lead donor to Mason’s Institute for Immigration Research (IIR), which is an extension of her commitment through ILC to help more Americans understand the true picture of what immigrants and immigration mean for our country.
An immigrant herself, Portnoy came to the United States at the age of 3 when her family was able to obtain American visas through the Displaced Persons Act of 1948.
“My parents were Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust, but in the process lost their entire families,” said Portnoy. “I saw what immigrants go through; it was part of my upbringing.”
Portnoy barely survived the voyage, coming down with whooping cough. As they reached Ellis Island, her parents were terrified that the United States would not let her enter. After a week-long quarantine with her mother and a name change (Dina to Diane), the family boarded a bus for Malden, Massachusetts, where they settled along with other Holocaust survivors.
Portnoy's parents went on to create a life that seemed to embody the American dream. Along with many of their friends in the community, they bought homes, created businesses (her father opened a sweater store), and sent their children to college.
Portnoy saw firsthand that as her immigrant community took part in the American experience, they were also growing their town. Immigrants were building the local economy, contributing to society and culture in their neighborhoods, and creating a new generation of children who would grow up and do the same.
“Nobody spoke English. Nobody could afford to take English classes,” said Portnoy. “Think about it, many of them, including my parents, had no family, no money, no language, no knowledge of the culture.”
Becoming an entrepreneur like her father, Portnoy honored the challenges her parents had faced and opened the ILC in 1992 to provide free English classes for immigrants and adult refugees. Portnoy saw the positive impact of immigrants on the economy and understood that highlighting that message was a way to combat hostility toward them. She approached Mason with an idea.
“She wanted the institute to focus on the positive economic contributions of immigrants,” said IIR Director Jim Witte. “She said people still don’t get it and view immigrants as having a negative impact on the country. But immigrants have always helped build the United States, and that is continuing to happen today.”
A joint venture between the ILC and Mason, the IIR was established in 2012 with funding from Portnoy, who has donated more than $3 million in support since its inception.
“I had done some research and decided Mason would be a great place for this institute,” explained Portnoy. “It was already a very diverse community, and it was a place where you could get a great education without much money. A lot of immigrants and children of immigrants have gotten degrees there.”
Over the first decade, the institute has produced scholarly research that shows the positive impact of immigrants on the U.S. economy. The IIR’s work has influenced immigration policy on a national level, has been cited in academic publications, and has been featured by media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, and more.
One of the institute's premier capabilities is its Immigration Data on Demand program, a free service that connects people with accurate data on immigrants.
“In just 10 years, the Institute for Immigration Research has become an important contributor to the work of policymakers, local jurisdictions, and government at all levels,” said College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Ann Ardis. “Its body of work is as diverse as the immigrants whose stories they bring forward. What Diane has done in establishing both the ILC and the IIR is exemplary; we are all in her debt for helping immigrants be at home and welcome in our country.”
This article originally appeared on the College of Humanities and Social Sciences website in a slightly different form. See the full article.