The DJ has Filipino American lawyers honor trailblazers, mark 60 years since 1965 immigration reforms -- The Filipino American Lawyers of Orange County gathered at the Irvine Marriott for their eighth annual gala on Friday, an evening that blended ceremony with reflection.
The Trailblazer Award went to Judge Patrick J. Bumatay, the first Filipino American appointed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "The Declaration of Independence is more than a founding document--it's a statement of shared values," he told the crowd. "The promise that all are created equal, endowed with the same rights, is what allowed families like mine to build a future here." He spoke about his grandfather, who arrived in the United States in the 1920s to work as a farm laborer, and about his parents, both doctors who immigrated in the 1970s. "The American dream struck my family three times," he said. "It's not perfection we inherit-- it's possibility. And every generation has to protect it."
Posts
