Sheer Courage

Gabrielle Giffords wows Joe Biden in DC at hubby Mark Kelly's retirementceremony

Capt. Mark Kelly hugs his wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, after receiving theLegion of Merit at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington onThursday.
Photo by David Lienemann/The White House via Reuters
Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly in Arizona before their 2007 wedding.

It's not everyday that Vice President Joe Biden is overshadowed, but Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was the biggest star at the D.C. retirement ceremony of her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly.

"It's not every day you encounter examples of sheer courage and selflessness and dedication like you see with this couple," Biden said, according to the Houston Chronicle. Giffords was described as blowing kisses to friends and admirers and walking with a limp and assistance from a staffer.

The retirement ceremony took place in the White House's Eisenhower Executive Office Building, with the Vice President administering the retirement oath to Kelly in front of notables including Nancy Pelosi and NASA administrator Charles F. Bolden. Press access to the ceremony was limited to outlets with ties to Giffords (think Arizona, Houston) and reporters in DC.

Kelly has been an astronaut since 1996 and flown four trips to space, including commanding the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavour in May. Kelly was awarded the Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross medals, with Giffords affixing one to her husband's jacket.

It was Giffords' second trip to the capital since the January shooting that left her in critical condition and six others dead. Giffords made a memorable, if brief, appearance on the floor of the House of Representatives in August to cast a vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling. She has been recovering from her January shooting in Houston.

Giffords will not to appear at her capitol office or conduct any official business trip, according to a statement by her office, and is expected to return to Houston within 24 hours to miss as little of her therapy as possible.

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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.”