FREMONT- The second annual Unity Dinner, sponsored by Indo-American Community Federation and held at the Fremont Marriott in Fremont, California, drew more than 500 people, including federal, state, and local elected officials.

California First Lady Sharon Davis and Dorothy Ehrlich of the American Civil Liberties Union , were the keynote speakers.

Indo-American Community Federation celebrates annual Unity Dinner to showcase the Indian culture to a diverse group of community leaders and elected officials to promote understanding and appreciation of California’s rich diversity and send a message of peace and unity, said Jeevan Zutshi, organizer of the event and founding President of the
Federation.

“With 140 languages spoken in Fremont, once a year, we celebrate and bring together our diverse communities,” said Jeevan Zutshi, adding, “Compared to other places in the world, we are uncommonly united in Fremont where we know how important it is to understand different cultures.” The inaugural dinner was organized in January last year in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. About 400 people, including more than 100 public officials, attended that dinner at the Fremont-Newark Hilton in January, 2002.