WASHINGTON — A senior Democratic lawmaker paid tribute on the House floor to the Bera family, recognizing what he described as their multigenerational commitment to service, education, and community engagement in both the United States and India.
Speaking during House proceedings, California Congressman J. Luis Correa highlighted the Bera family’s decades-long involvement in public service, public health, and education, tracing their journey back to the 1950s when Kanta and Babulal Bera emigrated from Gujarat to the United States.
Correa said the couple believed that education was “the path to opportunity” and worked multiple jobs while pursuing graduate degrees and raising their three sons — Raja, Rimal Bera, and Congressman Ami Bera.
Rimal Bera currently serves as a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine’s Department of Psychiatry, while Ami Bera represents California in the U.S. Congress.
Correa pointed to the family’s sustained engagement in public health and education, noting that their efforts have extended from communities in Orange County, California, to projects 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,” Correa said.
Among the initiatives cited was the establishment of an all-girls school in India that has graduated more than 7,000 students. He also highlighted the family’s involvement in supporting health and housing efforts across Southern California, saying those efforts have expanded opportunities for numerous communities.
A central focus of the family’s philanthropic work, Correa said, has been the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, which has been attended by two generations of the Bera family.
He highlighted a $100,000 donation made by the family in 2020 to permanently support medical students traveling to Rajkot. The initiative allows students to gain experience in a global clinical environment, work in underserved communities, collaborate with local medical providers, and extend medical care beyond individual patients.
Correa described the Bera family’s story as emblematic of the broader immigrant experience and a commitment to 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 referenced in the speech, represents California’s 6th Congressional District and is among the longest-serving Indian-American members of the U.S. House of Representatives. He has been active on foreign policy and U.S.-India relations, reflecting the continued engagement of the Indian-American community in public life across both countries. (Source: IANS)
