Walking through many neighborhoods in Philadelphia can feel like travelling the world. As you make your way through the City, you’ll run into people, traditions, and food from every corner of the globe. Since its founding, Philadelphia has welcomed immigrants into its arms. Immigrants, in turn, have helped make the city into the vibrant center it is today. To celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month, the Office of Immigrant Affairs has highlighted a few of the immigrant innovators who helped shape life in Philadelphia and beyond.
Councilmember-at-Large Dr. Nina Ahmad
Dr. Nina Ahmad was born in Bangladesh in 1960. After living through the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, she moved to the United States and settled in Philadelphia. In 1983, she earned her PhD in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. Throughout her life, Ahmad has remained a dedicated scientist, activist, and public official. When she was elected to City Council in 2023, she became Philadelphia’s first South Asian lawmaker. Her diverse career has led her to positions at the Willis Eye Hospital and President Obama’s commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Ahmad also serves as the president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Organization of Women, a women’s rights foundation. Her impacts in the medical sector, city government, and women’s rights make her one of Philadelphia’s most influential immigrant innovators.
The Di Bruno Brothers
Brothers Danny and Joe Di Bruno immigrated to Philadelphia from Italy in the 1930s through Ellis Island. They opened the first location of their now-famous specialty European cheese and meat delicetessa, Di Bruno Bros, in the Italian Market in 1939, where it quickly became known for its high quality, gourmet selection of products. Today Di Bruno Bros. is nationally known for its imported European cheeses and meats, with five stores and 350 employees serving about 30,000 customers each week. Danny and Joe Di Bruno’s success has continued for generations and shows how Philadelphia’s immigrant communities have fostered trailblazing businesses throughout history.
Louis Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn was born in Osel, Estonia in 1901. When he was four, he immigrated to Philadelphia with his family, where they joined other relatives nearby. As a child, Kahn showed great artistic talent, competing in art competitions throughout the city. His outstanding skills in drawing and sketching later landed him a full scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. However, Kahn turned his scholarship down for the chance to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. As a young architect, Kahn became known for his unique style, now called the “Philadelphia school” of architectural design. Later, influence from popular European styles contributed to the designs of his masterpieces, such as the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, The National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the Alfred Newton Richards Medical Research Laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
