Indo-American Community Federation (IACF-USA) hosted in-person Unity dinner on Friday March 11- for the first time since March 2019.

The non-profit was co-founded in the year 1994 by Jeevan Zutshi as the first Indo-American organization to build bridges with mainstream organizations, diverse leadership, think tanks, and public officials. The annual Unity Dinner 2002 was initiated to

Unify different cultures and groups after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The 25th Anniversary of the organization was celebrated in March 2019 coinciding with The 18th Annual Unity dinner. Hon. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Hon. Congressman Ro Khanna and Hon. Consul General of India Sanjay Panda were present, along with a myriad of public officials and honored guests at India Community Center, Milpitas, CA. Unity Dinners 2020 & 2021 were held on Zoom due to pandemic.

This year this signature event was also to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the 75 years of India’s independence.

The theme of the event was democratizing the digital world – making Silicon Valley more equitable. The theme resonated with a book which Congressman Ro Khanna has written and its publication was released in February this year. The Congressman was the Keynote speaker

Fremont Downtown Event Center

3500 Capitol Ave, Fremont, CA 94538

GUEST OF HONOR: ROB BONTA
State of California Attorney General

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: HON. CONGRESSMAN RO KHANNA

The annual Unity Dinner, organized by the Indo American Community Federation, brought together local, state and national elected leaders and Indian American community and business leaders. Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., California state Treasurer John Chiang; State Controller Betty Yee; and California state Assembly members Bill Quirk, Kansen Chu and Evan Low were among the many politicians who attended the event.

Fremont Mayor Bill Harrison, Cupertino Mayor Rod Sinks and Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves also attended the dinner, along with council members from several local cities.

In his keynote address, Hancock acknowledged the vast contributions of immigrant workers – particularly Indian Americans – to the growth of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Silicon Valley. “Any technology company here is like the United Nations. You’ve got people from all over the world feverishly working to attain a common goal.”

“The Silicon Valley is not an American phenomenon. It was built by people from everywhere, working on a path to success,” said Hancock, the inaugural director of Stanford University’s Shorenstein Forum for Asia-Pacific Studies.

“Most countries have a race, religion or tribe that binds them together. What is unique about the U.S. is the lack of tribe that binds us. This country was based on the glue of nationhood, liberty, justice and opportunity,” said Hancock, noting that in 1776, when America’s leaders were founding a democracy – including an elected president and Congress – most countries were still ruled by monarchies. “Two hundred and fifty years later, only the American institutions remain,” he said.

Venkatesan Ashok, India’s new consul general in San Francisco, also spoke about the impact of the co-mingling of cultures in his keynote address. “India is the best example of diversity compared to anywhere in the world,” he said, noting the numerous cultural communities, languages and religions that make up the world’s largest democracy.

“From that community, you have come to this community, another shining example of diversity,” said Ashok, who took office in November 2014 when former consul general N. Parthasarathi retired from public service and returned home to Bangalore.

Ashok spoke about a new directive issued by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which all Indian consulates and embassies throughout the world will celebrate the first International Yoga Day. The United Nations declared the date after Modi’s address to the General Assembly, urging nations to adopt the practice with the aim of fostering world peace.

In San Francisco, the Indian Consulate has issued an open invitation to people “from the length and breadth of California,” to participate in a day-long celebration of yoga at the Palace of Fine Arts. Per capita, non-Indians do more yoga daily than Indians, noted the affable diplomat, adding: “We will be teaching ourselves the value of something that many people here already know.”

Together we build a tapestry of colorful cultures

Unity Dinner 2022

The 21st Annual Event

Friday, March 11, 2022 (6:00 PM to 10:00 PM)

Please note that the 25th Anniversary of the Indo-American Community Federation (IACF) was celebrated in March 2019 coinciding with The 18th Annual Unity dinner.

Hon. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Hon. Congressman Ro Khanna and Hon. Consul General of India were present, along with many other public officials and honored guests at India Community Center, Milpitas, CA. Unity Dinners 2020 & 2021 were held on Zoom due to pandemic.

Unity through Diversity: Democratizing the digital world – making Silicon Valley more equitable 

Fremont Downtown Event Center

3500 Capitol Ave, Fremont, CA 94538

GUEST OF HONOR: ROB BONTA
State of California Attorney General
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: HON. CONGRESSMAN RO KHANNA
(District 17)
Confirmed Honored Guests (Partial List)

• Congressman Mike Honda (Retired)
• Consul General of India Ambassador Dr. Nagendra Prasad,
• Consul Dr. Akun Sabharwal,
• State Senator Dave Cortese, District 15,
• Assembly member Ash Kalra, District 27,
• Assembly member Mia Bonta, District 18,
• Former Assembly member Kansen Chu, District 25,
• Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez,
• Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley,
• Mayor Alan Nagy, City of Newark,
• Mayor Lili Mei, City of Fremont,
• Mayor Nancy Young, City of Tracy,
• Fremont City Councilmembers Rick Jones (and Dana King Jones), Dr. Raj Salwan, Teresa Cox, Teresa Keng, Yang Shao,
• San Ramon Vice-Mayor Sridhar Verose,
• BART Director Liz Ames,
• Fremont Police Chief Sean Washington,
• Ohlone Community College President Dr. Eric Bishop,
• Ohlone College Trustee Dr. Rakesh Sharma,
• Washington Hospital Trustees,
• Ajay Bhutoria, Advisor to President Biden for Asian American Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiians Commission,

Sumptuous Indian food by Swagat Indian CuisineHost Bar

Video and Photography by Sujoy Sarkar

Supporting Organizations

Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA)
Association of Indo-Americans (AIA)
Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
Washington Hospital Foundation
Bay Area Community Health (BACH)
Afro-American cultural and historical society
Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward
Spectrum Community Services (Lara Calvert, Executive Director; Peggy Herndon, CFO)

Sponsors and VIP Tables 

Deepak Ganju, Managing Director, Merrill Lynch 
Fremont Vice-Mayor Raj Salwan 
Hindu American Foundation (HAF) 
Bay Area Community Health (BACH) 
Pannu Dental 
Droisys, Inc. 
Comcast 

Table Sponsors

Washington Hospital Foundation
Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA)
Association of Indo-Americans (AIA)
Ajay Bhutoria
Ragini Vecham
 

Program:

Master of Ceremonies: Dr. Raj Salwan, Fremont Vice-Mayor
6:00 PM – 6:30 PM   Social Hour
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM:  Panel discussion on Racial Inequity and Hate Crime
Introduction: Jeevan Zutshi, IACF Chairman

Panelists:

CA State Senator Dave Cortese
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley
Ohlone College President Dr. Eric Bishop
City of Fremont Police Chief Sean Washington
Women league of Volunteers Reshma Inamdar
Ray Kelly, Lieutenant-Chief of Staff-Public Information Officer at Alameda County Sheriff’s Office

Moderator: Activist and TV Anchor/ Producer Jasleen Khanuja

7:30 PM – 10:00 PM:
National Anthem, Dinner, Speeches, Cultural Program and Awards
National Anthem by Adithri Sharma
Indian Cultural Program coordinated by Vijaya Aasuri

Kathak semiclassical item by Aerodance

• Diya Chatwani
• Nithika Valluri
• Trisha Dharmapuri

 Hispanic Dances by Grupo Folklorico Tlapalli (Jose Somoza)

Chinese dances by Sisterhood Dance Troop (Yvonne Liu)

Community Awards:

Bay Area Community Health – Community Healthcare Organization of the Year

Droisys – Community Participation through Entrepreneurship

Recognitions:

• Mr. Ajay Bhutoria (Advisor to President Biden for Asian American Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiians Commission),
• Ms. Nancy Young (Mayor of Tracy),
• Dr. Rakesh Sharma (Trustee, Ohlone College),
• Ms. Teresa Cox (Fremont City Councilmember),
• Ms. Ragini Vecham (IACF Scholarship)

MEDIA PARTNERS:

•  Tri-City Voice
• INDICA NEWS
• INDIA WEST
• RADIO ZINDAGI

Reported by Mayor of Fremont Lily Mei

Fantastic Friday Unity Dinner with the Indo American Community Federation (IACF)
Proud to promote unity through diversity joining in support for my 16th year.
Congratulations to their founder Jeevan Zutshi and president Dr. Ramesh Konda.
This annual collaboration brings together multi-ethnic and multi-cultural community leaders and organizations.

Beginning the event was a panel discussion on Racial Equity and Hate Crimes moderated by Yo India TV – Jasleen Khanuja and a panel including CA State Senator Senator Dave Cortese, County of Alameda, DA Nancy E. O’Malley, Fremont Police Chief Sean Washington, Ohlone College President Dr. Eric Bishop and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Ray Kelly.

2022 Awardees for Community Healthcare Organization was Bay Area Community Health and for Community Participation through Entrepreneurship was Droisys.

Supporting speakers and guests included APAPA Vice Chair Joe Johal, CA Attorney General Rob Bonta, Consul General of India in San Francisco Dr. T V Nagendra Prasad, US Congressman Ro Khanna, President Biden’s Commissioner Ajay Bhutoria Tracy Mayor Nancy Young, Assemblymember Ash Kalra, representative from Alex Lee, Santa Clara County Commissioner Cindy Chavez, Ohlone College Trustee Rakesh Sharma, IACF Scholarship Program lead Ragini Vecham, former Assemblymember Kansen Chu and Congressman Mike Honda, Fremont commissioners Tejinder Dhami, Yogi Chugh, Reena Rao, and Benjamin Yee, Fremont Unified School District Trustee Desrie Campbell, former FUSD Trustees Peggy Herndon and Lara Calvert