An emotional evening

Houston City Hall lights up with candlelight vigil in memory of victims of SikhTemple shooting

The area around City Hall plaza glowed with candles.
A large crowd turned out to honor victims of the Wisconsin Sikh Temple shooting.
Mayor Annise Parker asked all communities to pledge not to let such terroristacts change our identity and culture.
A youngster listens intently.
Attendees share a flame as candlight filled City Hall plaza
The evening had a warm glow.
U.S. Rep. Al Green emphasized the tolerance of different faiths is crucial.

More than 500 Houstonians of all faiths gathered as one big family at City Hall plaza Thursday night for a candelight vigil to honor victims of the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting. Men, women and children of all races and colors stood amid many Houston Sikhs as Mayor Annise Parker asked all communities to pledge to not let such terrorist acts change our identity, culture and beliefs.

U.S. Rep. Al Green elicited applause when he asked the crowd that if we are not safe in our religious place of worship, where are we safe? He further said that his heart aches to believe that if it happens to a Sikh it could happen to a Christian or a Muslim, Hindu or a Jew and therefore tolerance of various religions for the sake of humanity is crucial.

It was an emotional evening as attendees with tears in their eyes paid respect to those who lost their lives.

The vigil highlighted once again that Houston is a melting pot with a diverse culture. "I admired the way that so many religious leaders came and spoke on behalf of the victims and their families. I thought Mayor Parker's speech was extremely respectful and was a true honor to the victims and the families," said Viswa Subbaraman, artistic director and founder of Opera Vista.

The evening, organized by Sikh community volunteer Bobby Singh, also brought words of condolence and hope for the future from Elliot Gershenson, president and CEO of Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, Baha’i: Ajit Giani of Houston Baha’i Community, Venerable Hung I of Jade Buddha Temple, the Rev. Betty Adam of Christ Church Cathedral, Acharya Praveen Gulati of Hindus for Greater Houston, Rabbi Lyon of Congregation Beth Israel, Imam Wazir Ali of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, Bhai Sahib Manjit of the Sikh Community of Houston and Sikh community member Manmeet Likhari.

The ceremony concluded with chantings and prayers from The Guru Granth Sahib or Adi Granth (the religious text of Sikhism) as attendees each lit a candle and passed the flame around until the plaza flickered with light.

It was an emotional evening as attendees with tears in their eyes paid respect to those who lost their lives in a Gurdwara (Sikh Temple). At the same time, the evening affirmed the belief in the goodness of humanity.

Ruchi Mukherjee is a lifestyle feature journalist for TV Asia and host of Lights Camera Action, an online magazine that covers Houston Indo-American society news.

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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.”

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Thanks, Queen Bey

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