Washington, Feb 23 (IANS) A senior Democratic lawmaker, on Monday, paid tribute on the House floor to the Bera family, recognising what he described as their “multigenerational commitment to service, education, and community” and their contributions in both the US and India.
Speaking on the House Floor, Congressman J. Luis Correa of California applauded the work of the Bera Family and their multigenerational commitment to service, education, and community.
Correa traced the family’s journey back to the 1950s, when Kanta and Babulal Bera emigrated from Gujarat to the US.
He said they believed “that education is the path to opportunity” and worked multiple jobs while pursuing graduate degrees and raising three sons — Raja, Rimal Bera, and Congressman Ami Bera.
Rimal Bera serves as a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California’s Irvine (UCI) Department of Psychiatry, while Ami Bera represents California in the US Congress.
Correa highlighted the family’s sustained engagement in public health and education, noting that their work has extended from Orange County in California to communities in India.
“The Beras’ dedication to global health has spanned a variety of impactful projects not only in Orange County, but to the other side of the world in India,” he said.
Among the initiatives cited was the establishment of an all-girls school in India that has “graduated more than 7,000 students”.
Correa also referred to the family’s involvement in “supporting health and housing efforts throughout southern California”, saying they had “expanded opportunities for countless communities”.
A central pillar of the family’s philanthropic efforts, he said, has been the University of California’s Irvine School of Medicine. Two generations of the Beras attended the institution.
Correa pointed to a significant contribution made in 2020, when the family donated $100,000 to the UCI School of Medicine “to permanently support medical students travelling to Rajkot”.
He said the initiative enables aspiring physicians to “experience a global clinical environment” and to work in underserved communities.
It also allows them to “collaborate with local medical providers, and extend the reach of medicine beyond individual patient care”.
Correa described the family’s journey as emblematic of the broader immigrant experience and civic responsibility.
“The personal history of the Bera Family and their inspiring legacy is a reminder that we all have a responsibility to dedicate ourselves to building a stronger, kinder, and better community,” he said.
Ami Bera, one of the sons mentioned in the speech, has represented California’s 6th Congressional District and is one of the longest-serving Indian-American members of the US House of Representatives.
Over the years, he has been active on issues relating to foreign policy and US-India relations, reflecting the continued engagement of the Indian-American community in public life across both nations.
–IANS
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