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Harris County to End Unjust OmniBase Program That Will Give Tens of Thousands of Vulnerable Residents Their Drivers Licenses Back
The Program Currently has Holds on an Estimated 550,000 Driver’s Licenses in the Greater Houston Area
For Harris County residents, having access to a car is indispensable for daily activities such as getting to work, to a doctor’s appointment, and to pick up necessities like groceries. Particularly as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, and people are increasingly at-risk of losing their jobs, having access to safe and reliable transportation is critical. A recent report, Driven by Debt: Houston, estimated that not only does this program impact hundreds of thousands of drivers in the Greater Houston area, but that those impacted are disproportionately Black and low-income residents.
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Houston Chamber Choir presents “Desert Island Playlist” on Saturday, Nov. 19 at South Main Baptist Church
The Grammy® Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir, led by Robert Simpson and now in its 28th season, will perform “Desert Island Playlist” on Saturday, Nov. 19 at South Main Baptist Church for its third fall concert. “Desert Island Playlist” recognizes that there are certain pieces that touch us so deeply that we would not want to be without them even if stranded on a desert island.
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Houston Grand Opera Opens Dialogues of the Carmelites on January 14
Director Francesca Zambello returns to HGO to helm the Houston premiere
On January 14, 2022, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will open Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites.
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Houston Elementary Students to Reflect on Dr. King’s Legacy at Foley’s 28th Annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition
Fourth and fifth-graders will answer the question: “How would Dr. King reflect on the 60 years since his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech?”
On Friday, Jan. 12, 12 fourth and fifth-grade students from Houston Independent School District (HISD) will vie for the coveted title at Foley & Lardner LLP’s 28th Annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition.
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Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston Great Futures Dinner: Resilient Together
“Great Futures Start Here.” That’s what the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston is all about. And the Great Futures Dinner: Resilient Together was a big step in ensuring that will happen, as it raised more than $900,000 to support high quality after-school and summer programming for some 30,000 children and teens who walk through the doors of its 23 clubs every year. The dinner, attended by more than 600 enthusiastic BGCGH supporters, is the nonprofit’s premier fundraising event of the year and is a showcase to the Houston community on how BGCGH positively impacts the lives of area youth every day and helps them achieve great futures.
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Empowering Young Entrepreneurs: Houston Welcomes Girl Scout Cookie Mega Drops!
Join us for the spectacular Cookie Mega Drops event, an annual tradition that not only satisfies sweet tooths across Houston but also showcases the spirit of young entrepreneurship.
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South African Winemaker Ntsiki Biyela Debuts Aslina Wine Collection
Ntsiki Biyela, South Africa’s first black female wine creator, debuted her new wine collection, Aslina, in Houston recently. Four wines are included in the Aslina collection - Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Bordeaux blend.
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Clive Davis Unveils Untold Musical Plans with Whitney Houston Before Her Tragic Death
Legendary music producer Clive Davis remembers too well when Whitney Houston suddenly died over Grammys weekend 12 years ago.
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Researchers to restore what might be the oldest building in the US dedicated to the education of free and enslaved Black children
After years of examining centuries-old writings and digging up artifacts, researchers recently confirmed that an 18th-century building on the College of William & Mary campus was once a school for free and enslaved Black children.
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Houston Museum of African American Culture Reveals Guest Jurors for the 2024 Bert Long, Jr. Prize
The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) is thrilled to introduce the esteemed guest jurors for the 2024 Bert Long, Jr. Prize: Daisha Board and Phillip A. Townsend. Together with Christopher Blay, Chief Curator at HMAAC, Board and Townsend will have the honor of selecting the recipient of the 2024 Bert Long, Jr. Prize. This prestigious award, established in memory of the late Bert Long Jr., celebrates his enduring artistic legacy and contributions to the Houston art scene. The winner of the prize will receive a $3,000 cash award and a solo exhibition in the Bert Long Jr. Gallery at HMAAC, with the grand announcement scheduled for April 12, 2024, at HMAAC.
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Queen Elizabeth II Bobbleheads Unveiled to Celebrate Platinum Jubilee
This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a series of limited edition bobbleheads of Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee which starts today. Queen Elizabeth II became the first monarch in British history to achieve 70 years of service. The Queen acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI. To celebrate the unprecedented anniversary, a four-day national holiday weekend from Thursday, June 2 until Sunday, June 5, known as the Platinum Jubilee Weekend, is being held.
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Texas Ranks High Nationally for Women-owned Businesses
Great news for women in business in Texas! Recent studies indicate women-owned businesses are the most successful in Texas.
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Houston Homeownership to Get $6.1 Million Boost
Wells Fargo & Company, NeighborWorks® America and its local network members today announced the NeighborhoodLIFT® program will expand for Houston with a $6.1 million commitment by Wells Fargo to boost local homeownership. NeighborWorks America network members Avenue, Fifth Ward CRC and Tejano Center will administer the $15,000 down payment assistance grants, determine eligibility and provide homebuyer education.
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Rice’s Baker Institute to convene ‘Houston Stronger: A Path to A More Equitable City’ Aug. 31
Leaders and experts from government, nonprofits and academia will gather at BakerRipley’s Ripley House Aug. 31 for a public forum convened by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy to build community consensus around the need for a more equitable Houston.
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Must See Exhibits at HMAAC
There is still time to catch the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC)’s exhibit Negative Women: Four Photographers Questioning Boundaries, curated by Christopher Blay, HMAAC’s Chief Curator. The exhibition will be on view until January 21, 2023.
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The 2023 Pink Awards Celebrates a Night of Excellence and Welcomes Hosts Carl Payne and Malik Yoba
Prestigious Honorees Announced for the Annual Ceremony
Hailed as one of Atlanta’s premier breast cancer awareness events, The Pink Awards is set for Saturday, February 25, 2023, inside Southwest Atlanta’s Riverside EpiCenter. This year’s awards will be co-hosted by “Martin” alum and celebrated actor Carl Anthony Payne II and 3x NAACP Image Award Winner and “NY Undercover Actor” Malik Yoba.
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The University of Houston-Downtown Expands Educational Access and Equity Through the Seal Your Success Campaign and The Summer Bridge Program To Ensure Student Success
The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is making significant strides in its mission to expand educational access and equity to historically excluded students through its Seal Your Success campaign and then preparing in-coming freshmen for college through its Summer Bridge Program. Under the guidance of Dr. Daniel Villanueva, Vice President of Enrollment Management, UHD has reaffirmed its commitment to access, affordability, and achievability, providing a unique and affordable academic and student life experience.
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Local Lingerie Boutique Wins Industry Award and Immediately Switches Gears to Help Women Affected by Harvey
Locally owned and operated lingerie boutique Top Drawer Lingerie recently received a Best of Intima Award from industry publication Intima Magazine. The annual award honors the best independent lingerie, swimwear, and loungewear retailers in North America and arrived just before Hurricane Harvey devastated the store’s hometown of Houston.
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OWN ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATE FOR NEW ROMANTIC DRAMA “LOVE IS__” DEBUTING TUESDAY, JUNE 19 AT 10 P.M. ET/PT
OWN announced today its new original one-hour romantic drama from award-winning producers Mara Brock Akil (“Being Mary Jane,” “The Game,” “Girlfriends”) and Salim Akil (“Black Lightning”) will premiere on Tuesday, June 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT (after Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and the Have Nots at 9 p.m. ET/PT). Brock Akil serves as showrunner on the series, which she and Akil created and executive produce through their company Akil Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television.
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Mayor Turner and the Comcast Corporation will announce the Comcast RISE Investment Fund, which will award $1 million in grants to BIPOC-Owned, small businesses in Houston
On Tuesday, February 9, 2021, Mayor Sylvester Turner and Comcast will announce the Comcast RISE Investment Fund, which will provide $5 million dollars of grants to hundreds of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-owned, small businesses in five cities nationwide, including $1 million in Houston.
