HARRIS COUNTY ATTORNEY MENEFEE OPENS APPLICATIONS FOR 2ND HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER LEGAL ACADEMY

(including HISD, Alief ISD, Klein ISD, and more).

The office of Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee is now accepting applications for the 2023 Summer Legal Academy (SLA), a twoweek educational readiness program for high school students to learn more about what it takes to become an attorney. The inaugural program launched in the summer of 2022, yielding more than 250 applications. The 2022 class of 21 students came from 21 different high schools in six local school districts

During the program students will: learn about what it takes to succeed in college, on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), and in law school; participate in mock lectures given by current professors at local law schools; hear from multiple panels of attorneys in a variety of practice areas (including corporate law, criminal law, family law, etc.); and tour local law schools and courthouses.

"SLA is a safe space for young adults around Houston to come together and grasp a deeper understanding of the law field. Prior to my time at SLA I had never met an Attorney, but SLA allowed me to network with and receive actual lectures from real professionals. The knowledge I gained at SLA and the friendships I created are ones I will keep with me forever," said Carmen Cruz, a senior at Milby High School who was part of the 2022 SLA cohort.

“I started the Summer Legal Academy last year to empower kids from all backgrounds, regardless of where they go to school or the issues they face in their own life, to know how to navigate the process of becoming a successful attorney. Every young person deserves to know that the options ahead of them are endless and that they have what it takes to create a bright future for themselves,” said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. “Growing

Asked about the prospects for new legislation as they left a GOP leadership meeting Monday, Senate Republican Whip John Thune cast blame on Democrats for ending those earlier negotiations.

"We'll see. We made a lot of progress on that front a few years ago with Tim Scott until Democrats torpedoed it," he said, adding that Republicans would have to assess if Democrats would take a different approach now.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the GOP leadership and Senate Judiciary Committee, told CNN that "I don't know what the pathway is" to finding a deal on policing legislation. The Texas Republican said that the issue of changing qualified immunity for police officers -- to make it easier to sue them in civil court -- remains a central sticking point.

"We've been talking about (the legislation) for two years and never been able to get to consensus on that," Cornyn said.

"You got these police officers that use excessive force. They need to be prosecuted. I'm not sure there's any law you can pass that would prevent what happened," Cornyn added.

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StyleMagazine.com up, I had never met a lawyer and I had no idea how to get into law school. It’s incredibly meaningful to me to be able to connect Harris County high school students to a diverse group of attorneys, judges, and even staff from local law schools and allow them to ask questions and dream big about their own future.”

For more details on Summer Legal Academy and the application process, visit cao.harriscountytx.gov/students. Any high school student in Harris County entering grades 10 through 12 may apply. The deadline for students to apply is March 24. Applicants are expected to submit a recommendation letter, a writing sample, and a short essay. The program will be held Monday-Friday during a two-week period in July.

FILM CAPTURING HOUSTON'S 5TH WARD HISTORY TO AIR ON BET FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

The Historic Fifth Ward, located on the northeast edge of downtown Houston, Tx. served as home to the iconic musical venue “Club Matinee” founded in 1936. During the days of segregation, legends like Ray Charles (one of his first gigs), James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Louis Armstrong, Sam Cooke, Little Richard and B. B. King & more performed at this KCOH satellite location.

Award winning film director & multi-platinum Grammy nominated music producer Isaac Yowman, has used his visual talents to document the history made during the era of Club Matinee with his newest NAACP Image Award nominated film “Memory Builds The Monument”.

Yowman partnered with local non-profits Fifth Ward CRC and SOURCE Studio to create the project through his film/tv production company IYO Visuals. The documentary premiered as an Official Selection at SXSW and has won nearly a dozen film festivals globally.

Paramount now has acquired the film, and will officially debut “Memory Builds The Monument” on BET throughout Black History Month, and available to stream on BET+ February 1st.

This community driven motion picture will be released in conjunction with an original music soundtrack (EP) and a 23,000+ sqft. Art Exhibition located at THE MAG in Downtown Houston. Both the soundtrack & month-long art exhibit are entitled “Southern Glory”

In collaboration with Morehouse College, Yowman will host an Atlanta screening of the BET special and Q&A on Friday, February 17th in the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. The activation will serve as an Official Founder’s Week event and is FREE to all residents of ATL, students and alumni.

Read more at: StyleMagazine.com