Going Green

(Not) just another day at the park: Families on the Green a messy success

Two young girls get up close and personal with one of the Chinese dragons atDiscovery Green’s Families on the Green.
Photo by Miguel Ottaviano
Patrons enjoyed a variety of stage performances.
Photo by Miguel Ottaviano
Ron Erlichman of Families on the Green sponsor Bracewell & Giuliani has fun withhis son.
Photo by Miguel Ottaviano
Hooping it up at Discovery Green’s Families on the Green
Photo by Miguel Ottaviano

Fifteen hundred parents and children turned out for the first-ever Families on the Green shindig at Discovery Green.

I brought my mom, with two younger sisters in tow to wreak havoc inside the enormous tent that had just hours before hosted a black-tie gala.

On Sunday, it was chaos. Kid's (of the decidedly younger, toddler set) thundered through the activity stations — homemade hovercrafts and helicopters at one, slime at another, karaoke in back — snacking on popcorn, cotton candy, and frozen yogurt from Berripop (we were ecstatic to learn a new location is opening on Washington Avenue!)

Inside, Intuitive African Dancers performed while outside a trio of Chinese dragons drew kids out of the bounce houses to investigate. These were our favorite part of the day's entertainment, over even the "Mad Science" chemistry cum magic show.

Sliders and other munchables were catered by Jackson & Co. while entertainment persisted on indoor and outdoor stages. For fun, the rock wall was topped - in our estimation - only by the outdoor pool filled with live catfish, where amateur anglers tested their skills in exchange for catfish trophies. No fish tales here; the largest catch we witnessed measured in at 23 inches.

The weather couldn't have been more agreeable, and the leftover chandeliers dangling from the oaks are welcome to stay year-round.

I'm borrowing my neighbor's kids next year. I need some younger cohorts. Any excuse for a repeat visit.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

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

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.”