On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, Congressman Al Green released the following statement:

“As a co-founder of Houston’s America’s Table, I was delighted to be at Minute Maid Park today with Randy Czarlinsky, my friends from the American Jewish Committee (AJC), and local high school students to celebrate the diversity of Houston. America’s Table is a Thanksgiving reader that provides AJC the annual opportunity to highlight the many ways that immigrants positively contribute to our city and nation,” Congressman Al Green said.

Congressman Al Green continued, “The City of Houston alone is home to over 1.6 million immigrants with more than 27 percent of them holding a bachelor’s degree or higher as of 2016. Immigrants not only contribute to Houston’s sociocultural fabric, including through their language, cuisine, faith, and customs, but are also an exceedingly important engine of economic growth. They can be found filling critical gaps in our workforce across the manufacturing, healthcare, retail, as well as construction industries, to name a few. Additionally, immigrants contribute millions of dollars in federal, state, and local taxes each year. By welcoming people for generations from diverse backgrounds seeking a better life, America has truly lived up to its reputation as the land of opportunity where one can succeed on one’s merits. I applaud the AJC for their efforts to find unity as well as beauty in diversity and am proud to help them highlight the stories that truly make the U.S. a nation of immigrants.”

Randy Czarlinsky, AJC Houston Region Director – who participated in the program – said, “Today, high school students from throughout the metro area sat with strangers at the beginning and hopefully shared their perspectives on diversity with each other. We also heard from students who have their own immigrant stories from Afghanistan and India on their journey to freedom in America.”