A holiday for a hero

Parades & vigils celebrate Martin Luther King Day; hear the 10-year-old winnerof speech competition

It's been over 40 years since the passionate words and leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. led to sweeping changes in America. This weekend his legacy will be remembered in Houston both through solemn observance and vibrant parades.

On Sunday, the Rothko Chapel will observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. with faith-based blues and gospel music by KM Williams, an ordained minister, who performs at 3 p.m., followed by a reception on the plaza.

Or join students and community members at Rice University as the sun sets at a 5 p.m. candlelight vigil and celebration in honor of Dr. King at the Rice Memorial Center Chapel. The event will include remarks by Rev. William Lawson of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.

Just as in 2011, there will be two separate parades to commemorate the holiday. The Black Heritage Society's 34th Annual "Original" MLK Birthday Parade will take place downtown, starting by Minute Maid Park at the corner of Texas and Crawford at 10 a.m. and traveling in a square route on Texas, Caroline McKinney and Austin streets. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee will serve as the parade's grand marshal.

In Midtown, the MLK Grande Parade starts at San Jacinto and Elgin and runs north to Webster, also kicking off at 10 a.m.

After the parades, the Black Heritage Foundation is holding a party and concert downtown at Discovery Green from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

King's life will also be celebrated at the Children's Museum of Houston with a peace rally at noon Monday. It's the highlight of a daylong series of events at the museum, including a recitation of King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech by Matthias McBride, a 10-year-old student at Pleasantville Elementary School, who is this year's Gardere Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Competition winner. (Hear McBrid's winning speech, in the above video.) Museum general admission is $5.

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Beyonce Super Bowl

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”

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