India Abroad - July 07, 2017

s Generation Xers, sons of immigrants and freshmen lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Reps.

Raja Krishnamoorthi
(D-Ill.) and Thomas
Suozzi (D-N. Y.) have one more
common thread: the commit-
ment they said they have to fight
discrimination against Indian-
Americans in a challenging land-
scape of xenophobia, bigotry
and hate.

At the recent American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin convention in Atlantic City, the lawmakers said, “you are just as American,” whether in the U.S. for five years or five generations.

Addressing outgoing AAPI
president Dr. Ajay Lodha direct-
ly, Krishnamoorthi said, “You,
like my family, you came to this
country with nothing in your
pockets—nothing but your val-
ues, your culture, your educa-
tion, and your work ethic…. You
are a success in the greatest
country the world has ever
known, the United States of
America.”
And, he said, the more than

1,500 delegates and their fami-
lies at the convention were “the
pride of one of the greatest civi-
lizations the world has ever
known—India.”
Krishnamoorthi assured
attendees that although his
Chicago district might not be
their hometown, “I represent
you in the United States
Congress. I represent your val-
ues, I represent your aspirations,
I represent your hopes and your
dreams and everything that is
good and great and just and
decent about you and your fami-
ly and your value system….I am
proud of my heritage and I am
proud of you.”
Krishnamoorthi declared, “I
am so proud of you, you are my
heroes,” and went on to say that
“I am proud to be Indian
American, I am proud of my reli-
gion, I am proud of my culture, I
am proud of my heritage, and I
am proud of you.”
Suozzi, who said he was first
generation Italian-American,
spoke of how his parents and
other Italian immigrants faced
discrimination. “My father
throughout his life had to fight
against this discrimination to
become one of the most respect-
ed people of our community.”
His father, he said, was the
first one in the family to go to
college “and then he fought in
World War II and he got the
Distinguished Flying Cross as a
navigator of the B- 24. And he
came home from
the war and he
went to Harvard
Law School on the
GI Bill.”
Suozzi told lis-
teners that Indians
are caught up in that same chal-
lenge today as well “because
Indians speak differently or have
an accent or their names are
more difficult to pro-
nounce.”
Suozzi, who serves
on both the House
Foreign Affairs
Committee and the
Armed Services
Committee, said, “You are just
as American whether you’ve
been here for five years or for
five generations—that’s what’s
beautiful about this country.”
He spoke of the “very highest
achievements” of the Indian-
American community.

“I know that in my hometown of Nassau County, and Long Island and New York and throughout the country, you make this country so much better because of what Raja talked about—because of the way you have a respect for family and for education,” he said.

Suozzi said the Indian-
American community has
embraced the U.S. in all of its
facets “and adopted this coun-
try, but you’ve never abandoned
your native country—the same
way my family never abandoned
their love for Italy. You still keep
traditional dress, music and cul-
ture, but you’ve adopted this
country and made it your own.”
Later, during the convention,
Suozzi also appeared in a town-
hall style format with Rep. Frank
Pallone (D-N.J.) and founder of
the Congressional Caucus on
India and Indian American to
discuss health care reform.
As the meeting opened, he
joked: “When I first started in
politics, they said, ‘You have to
take care of the three I’s—the
Italians, the Irish and Israel.”
“Now,” he said to laughter
and applause, “it’s four I’s –the
Indians too.”
Being All American

Foundation and the Indian Abroad Center for Political Awareness, that provided scholarships for needy Indian-American students and summer internships for Indian-American college students in the Capitol Hill offices of senators and members of the House of Representatives. He is also a member of the board of trustees of Jain Temple in Detroit and also a member of the board of trustees at Oakwood Health Care System and now Beaumont Health since 2011.

Beaumont Hospital,
where Jain works, is a 185-
bed teaching hospital that
is part of Beaumont
Health, Michigan’s largest
health care system. He
became chief medical offi-
cer in 2015. He also serves
as the hospital’s patient
safety officer and oversees
site related patient safety
and quality activities.
Jain, a practicing radiol-
ogist, joined Beaumont
Hospital in 1982 and was
elected chief of staff in
2011.
Moving
AAPI
Forward