Jennifer Holliday to headline show

Houston artists to headline inaugural celebration Monday

Jennifer Holliday
Archie Bell and the Drells
Yvonne Washington

Annise Parker's celebratory inauguration concert at Discovery Green Monday night will have a distinctly Houston vibe with performances by such local staples as salsa sensation Mango Punch, Tony and Grammy award-winning Broadway star Jennifer Holliday, and soul singers Archie Bell, Roy Head and Yvonne Washington.

The concert is free and open to the public and will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; it will move to the George R. Brown Convention Center in the event of inclement weather.

Monday night's concert will close a big day for Parker, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with a public program at the Wortham Center officiated by U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore, who will administer Parker's ceremonial oath of office. The morning program won't have any shortage of music, either, with performances by Barbara Padilla, the first runner-up in 2009's America's Got Talent, an orchestra and a choir.

Seating is open and unreserved, so make the most of both events if you can!

Saturday will be Parker's first official day as mayor, when she will be sworn in in a closed ceremony.

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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.”