the shows go on

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announces major change to 2020 shows

Shows will focus more on junior exhibitors.

Photo courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

In March, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo suddenly shut down due to coronavirus concerns. Months later, the rodeo is steering towards a new 2021 exhibition schedule due to the pandemic.

The rodeo announced the cancellation of the popular, adult-focused livestock Open Show. Instead, the rodeo will focus on the Junior Show and other youth events, according to a press release.

“Our Open Show exhibitors are an integral part of our Show every year, and this decision was not made lightly, but with the health and safety of all our exhibitors and guests at the forefront of our decision,” said Rodeo president and CEO Chris Boleman, in a statement. The change reduces the number of people involved and allows more space for youth to participate in the dozens of competitions planned.

Livestock entries for the 2021 Junior Show will open November 15 and close December 15. According to the rodeo, Junior Show competitions will include breeding beef heifers, breeding gilts, breeding sheep, dairy cattle, market barrows, market broilers, market goats, market lambs, market steers, and market turkeys.

Various judging competitions and contests will be held, including ag mechanics, archery, industrial craft, and young guns shooting sports — and some virtual events like the ag science fair and public speaking contests.

Youth competitions that will include youth meat pen rabbits, youth breeding rabbit/cavy, and llama and alpaca shows.

Events such as concerts and rodeo competitions have yet to be announced. The 2021 rodeo runs March 2-March 21.

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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.”