Governor's wife to speak at Fremont Unity Dinner - by T.T. Nhu, The Mercury News January 6, 2003

Sharon Davis, wife of Gov. Gray Davis, will deliver one of the keynote speeches at a Jan. 24 Fremont dinner that organizers say will celebrate the area's diversity and send a message of peace and unity.

About 500 people, including a number of elected officials, are expected to attend the second Unity Dinner at the Fremont Marriott Hotel. "With 140 languages spoken in Fremont, once a year, we are having this celebration to set the tone and bring together our diverse communities,'' said Jeevan Zutshi, the organizer of the event". "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 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.

Dorothy Ehrlich of the ACLU is the other keynote speaker at this year's dinner. Among the politicians scheduled to attend are Rep. Fortney ``Pete'' Stark, D-Fremont; Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose; Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose; state Treasurer Phil Angelides; state Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont; Assemblyman John Dutra, D-Fremont; and Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

The cultural program includes Bharatanatyam dance performance by Indumathy Ganesh, Orissi dance by Shibani, and other Indian performers.

"Even though we're Indo-American organization, we're dedicated to the entire community,'' said Zutshi, a real estate broker in Fremont. Representatives of a number of other of community organizations, including Afghan Coalition, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Citizens for Better Community, have also been invited.

Tickets are $60 per person or $110 per couple. For more information, e-mail: jeevanzutshi@aol.com or call (510) 589-3702.