Thanksgiving respite

Mayoral candidates plan a brief turkey break from campaign trail

What is the political strategy with less than three weeks to go before election day and with a big holiday looming large? Does the campaign for mayor ever rest?

We checked in with the Gene Locke and Annise Parker camps for the candidates' Thanksgiving Day schedules and found that even the most fervent politicians take a turkey break. And, simply because he is the current mayor and he is running for statewide office, albeit at a later date, we also asked about Bill White's Thanksgiving plans and traditions.

For attorney Locke, the Thanksgiving rush began on Sunday and continues through today as he helps hand out turkeys for the needy and meals to the homeless. On Thanksgiving Day, the family will lend a hand at the City Wide Club of Houston feast at the George R. Brown. But the afternoon and evening will be reserved for Locke family traditions.

A bountiful Thanksgiving lunch is followed by TV time tuned in to college football. No surprises there. But that night, the Lockes gather around the tube to watch The Godfather, unusual Thanksgiving fare. And the following day, after a family game of baseball at Sunnyside Park, it's back to the house for turkey leftovers and viewing of The Godfather II.

Parker will be donning an apron Thanksgiving morning, making the most of the day that she believes should be devoted to family. The city controller plans on baking the turkey, making dressing, preparing the green beans and making candied sweet potatoes using her mother's recipe. The house will be filled with family and campaign staffers, a number of whom are from out of town and don't have other plans for the day. After dinner, the crowd has a choice of watching football or playing any number of board games.

Houston first lady Andrea White says that Thanksgiving in her home is a major family affair that begins in the afternoon — after the mayor walks in the city's Thanksgiving Day parade and after several family members help out at one of the public dinners. Her mother, two sisters and brother and Bill's parents all gather for a feast of baked turkey, guacamole, salad, sweet potatoes with marshmallows and without, dressing with oysters and without and all the rest of the expected trimmings. Occasionally, Bill will grill a pork tenderloin or chicken if the size of the crowd warrants.

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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.”