For over a hundred years, the H-E-B Grocery Company has been a mainstay of Texas and Houston. This business—which began as a family business—has helped feed Houston. It has been constantly recognized as one of the best places to work. Indeed, it has earned this distinction from such vaunted employment search companies as Indeed and Glass Door. The company Comparably has deemed H-E-B as one of the best places to work for a woman. So, it is clear from these accolades that a career with H-E-B would be beneficial for anyone who is hired by them.

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Senior Member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget released this statement at a Job Fair featuring H-E-B in Cuney Homes:

I am pleased to be here at this job fair to identify and place members of our community into exciting new jobs and economic opportunities, made possible by the opening of new facilities by H-E-B Grocery stores. Since the recession which rocked our country in the last years of the last decade, Americans all over the nation have pursued ways to secure their economic outlooks. Unfortunately, the recovery which followed has been uneven. Many of the jobs which were enjoyed by hardworking Americans of all backgrounds has moved, been replaced by automation, or otherwise did not return to the economy.

As the employment rate hovers around 3.7% for all Americans, this is an incomplete number for some Americans. Many of the available jobs are unfilled because many lack the skills to fill them. And, it is an imprecise number because the number is higher for Latino communities and almost two full points higher for African American workers. This is as much a function of racial minority as it is socioeconomic status. And here in Harris County, Texas, the demographics speak to the opportunities needed for minority communities. In Harris County, over 60 percent of the population is either Hispanic and Latino or African American. Thus, it follows that communities of color are distinctly susceptible to downturns in the economic market. More precisely, the African American community continues to fall behind in their efforts to make the gains of their white counterparts. In fact, the chasm between these groups is widening. According to the Economic Policy Institute, in a report from earlier this year, the median black worker made just 75% of what an equivalent white worker did, and that number is lower than when it was measured in 2000. And, a recent statistic by the University of Chicago indicates that the gap between whites and African Americans is nearly as big as it was in the 1950s. And, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the percentage of college-aged undergraduate students were employed was higher among part-time students, 81%, than among full time students, 43%. These numbers are lower in 2017 than were in 2005. This is attributable to many reasons, not the least of which is the dearth of jobs that can be filled by these Americans.

Which is why the Job Fair by the H-E-B Grocery is such a timely endeavor and a wonderful and welcome opportunity by such a historic Texan business and one which has been a fabric of our community. For over a hundred years, the H-E-B Grocery Company has been a mainstay of Texas and Houston. This business—which began as a family business—has helped feed Houston. It has been constantly recognized as one of the best places to work. Indeed, it has earned this distinction from such vaunted employment search companies as Indeed and Glass Door. The company Comparably has deemed H-E-B as one of the best places to work for a woman. So, it is clear from these accolades that a career with H-E-B would be beneficial for anyone who is hired by them.

Today’s Job Fair permits an opportunity to make a dent in some of the statistics I have mentioned. The proximity of today’s job fair next to Texas Southern University is a welcome opportunity to help employ some of TSU’s students who are looking to either supplement their incomes or enter the job market through employment with a great employer, like H-E-B, and to aid families who are caught in the widening economic chasm between those fully rehabilitated from the Great Recession, and those still subject to the economic gap.

I thank H-E-B Grocery for holding this Job Fair in Cuney Homes. It is a testament to the Texas communities they call home, and an investment in the prosperity and wellbeing of all residents of the area.