NAACP meets AJC Houston, discusses domestic, international issues

Former NAACP Houston President Rep. Al Green was the featured speaker during a recent seminar between the American Jewish Committee and NAACP Houston members.

During the 90-minute discussion, members focused on Sudanese asylum seekers being deported from Israel, immigration reform, voter ID, pending affirmative action cases in the Supreme Court regarding University of Texas' 10 percent rule, Iran and the state's prison system.

Other participants during the discussion included Hilary Shelton, senior vice president for advocacy and policy and director of the NAACP Washington Bureau; Leon Russell, vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Governors; Rev. Nelson Rivers, vice president for stakeholder relations; Rev. Hope; Rev. Reginald Lillie, president of NAACP Houston Branch; Howard Jefferson, national board member and former president of Houston branch; Gary Bledsoe, Texas NAACP president; and Rabbi David Saperstein, national NAACP board member.

Members of the AJC at the meeting were Bobby Lapin, chair, AJC national legal committee; Martin Siegel, AJC Houston vice president for domestic affairs and a member of AJC's national legal committee; Richard Shaw, vice president for interreligious/ethnic affairs and member of AJC's national immigration task force; Helene Zadok, AJC Houston region president; and Randy Czarlinsky, director.

For more information about the Houston AJC, visit www.ajchouston.org.