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Beyoncé Appears at Houston Celebration for Upcoming Knowles-Rowland House for Homeless

ABOVE: On Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, Beyoncé, third from left, attended a kickoff celebration for the forthcoming Knowles-Rowland House in Houston (Photo courtesy of Roscoe Whitworth/Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s Office) Before entertaining her hometown with a pair of sold-out concerts last weekend, one of the world’s biggest pop superstars took part in an event […]
The post Beyoncé Appears at Houston Celebration for Upcoming Knowles-Rowland House for Homeless first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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ABOVE: On Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, Beyoncé, third from left, attended a kickoff celebration for the forthcoming Knowles-Rowland House in Houston (Photo courtesy of Roscoe Whitworth/Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s Office)

Before entertaining her hometown with a pair of sold-out concerts last weekend, one of the world’s biggest pop superstars took part in an event that illustrates her love for Houston and support for its most underprivileged residents.

Beyoncé, whose Renaissance World Tour made stops Saturday and Sunday at NRG Stadium, was in Midtown last Friday morning to celebrate a forthcoming housing development for the homeless that will bear her name and that of a former bandmate. The Knowles-Rowland House will provide permanent supportive housing to 31 people in a three-story, 21,000-square foot facility to be built on the campus of St. John’s Downtown Church – where the families of Beyoncé and fellow Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland have long been congregants.

The $10.5 million construction project is being led by local nonprofits Bread of Life, which is connected to the church, and Temenos Community Development Corporation.

“That was exciting for all of us,” Monique Williams, the director of partnerships and development for Bread of Life, said of Beyoncé’s presence at the kickoff celebration event. “She’s a busy lady. She’s doing a couple of other things this weekend. For her to pause and just kind of return home and to be in this space with us and to hear again what more will be done and to see her legacy, I think it was wonderful for everyone to be in that space and share that with her.”

Pictured is an artist’s rendering of the Knowles-Rowland House, a housing development for Houston’s homeless that will be constructed on the campus of St. John’s Downtown Church. (Photo courtesy of Bread of Life)

Rowland and Beyoncé, whose last name is Knowles, previously helped fund the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, which opened in 1999 at the same location. It sustained damage during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and from a fire in 2021, and has since been used for storage, according to Bread of Life.

The building is being repurposed into a housing development that will provide shelter for the homeless and a range of support services, including life and job skills training, transportation assistance and physical, mental and behavioral health support.

Harris County Commissioners Court in July authorized $7.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the project. The rest of the needed funding is being raised by Bread of Life, which was founded 31 years ago and provides hot meals to Houston’s needy, food and home goods distributions and educational and health-related services, along with operating a radio station.

Williams said the Knowles-Rowland House is expected to open before the end of 2024.

“This project will move Harris County closer to realizing its vision for a vibrant, inclusive region where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and a place to call home,” Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said in a statement. “Access to safe and affordable housing is a fundamental human right and a need that cannot be addressed without increasing and preserving our affordable housing stock.”

Williams said she could not say whether Beyoncé herself – who earlier this year became the winningest musician in the history of the Grammy Awards – is contributing funding to the housing development that will be named partly after her and her family.

But Williams and Bread of Life are undoubtedly grateful for Beyoncé’s support and what she described as a surprise appearance at Friday’s kickoff celebration. Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, was also in attendance.

“Who ever expects Beyoncé to be anywhere? Everything’s always a surprise,” Williams said. “I think it was wonderful for everybody to be able to really kind of see her commitment to our work.”

Beyoncé, third from right, attends a kickoff celebration for the Knowles-Rowland House on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 in Houston. (Photo courtesy of Roscoe Whitworth/Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s Office)

The post Beyoncé Appears at Houston Celebration for Upcoming Knowles-Rowland House for Homeless appeared first on Forward Times.

The post Beyoncé Appears at Houston Celebration for Upcoming Knowles-Rowland House for Homeless first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Federal Raids Target Migrant Kids, Split Families

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The Trump administration has reportedly removed at least 500 migrant children from their homes across the United States and placed them into government custody, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

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By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The Trump administration has reportedly removed at least 500 migrant children from their homes across the United States and placed them into government custody, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The children, many of whom were living with family members or other vetted sponsors, were taken during so-called “welfare checks” carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies. According to CNN, the operations are part of a larger campaign launched shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office, with federal authorities setting up a “war room” inside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review data on children who entered the country alone and were later released to sponsors. Officials have used the room to coordinate efforts between agencies, including ICE and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which oversees the custody of unaccompanied migrant children.

Trump officials claim the effort is aimed at protecting children placed in unsafe conditions or with unqualified sponsors, pointing to cases where children were released to individuals with criminal backgrounds or those involved in smuggling. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the welfare checks have led to the arrests of some sponsors and the transfer of children into ORR custody. Federal data shows more than 2,500 children are currently in ORR custody. CNN reported that the average stay has grown significantly, from 67 days in December 2024 to 170 days by April 2025. Former Health and Human Services officials say new vetting rules—including income requirements, government-issued ID, and DNA tests—have made it far more difficult for parents and guardians, particularly those who are undocumented, to reclaim their children.

In some cases, reunifications that had already been scheduled were canceled. A recent lawsuit details how two brothers, ages 7 and 14, remain in government care because their mother cannot meet new documentation requirements under the revised policies. Mark Greenberg, a former senior HHS official, stated that the approach puts children in a difficult situation. “To the extent, the goal is to determine whether children are in danger or in need of help, this isn’t a good way to do that because it creates fear that anything they say could be used against their parent or family member,” he said. Immigration enforcement agents reportedly have visited children’s homes and asked about their journey to the U.S., school attendance, and upcoming immigration court appearances. Legal advocates say these visits, which sometimes include the FBI, are not standard child welfare procedures and can create fear and confusion among minors.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed the agency’s role, saying, “Protecting children is a critical mission for the FBI, and we will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to secure their safety and well-being.” Multiple outlets noted that the Trump administration has not provided clear evidence that large numbers of children are missing. Instead, it has referenced a Department of Homeland Security inspector general report from 2023 that noted more than 291,000 unaccompanied minors had not received notices to appear in immigration court. Former officials note that these figures do not necessarily indicate that the children are missing; some lacked updated addresses or were affected by administrative backlogs.

Within HHS, officials were instructed to expedite policy changes. Former ORR Ombudsman Mary Giovagnoli stated that a senior ICE official, Melissa Harper, was temporarily appointed to lead ORR. Her short tenure was followed by Angie Salazar, another former ICE official who now frequently communicates with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Trump’s team argues the Biden administration allowed thousands of unaccompanied children to enter the country without sufficient oversight. Jen Smyers, a former ORR deputy director, stated that all sponsors underwent thorough vetting, including Department of Justice background checks and reviews of the sex offender registry. “No amount of vetting is a predictor of the future,” she said. The Miami Herald recently reported that a 17-year-old foster child in Florida was removed from his home in shackles and transferred to ICE custody. The boy and his mother had crossed the border without documentation, but he had been living in a state-supervised foster placement. The case raised concerns about the state’s cooperation with federal enforcement and the message it sends to immigrant families. Concerns about federal custody of vulnerable children are not confined to immigration.

In North Carolina, a 7-month-old baby died after being left in a hot minivan by her foster mother, who now faces charges of negligent child abuse and involuntary manslaughter. In Hawaii, dozens of children have been forced to sleep in government offices and hotels due to a shortage of foster placements. In North Dakota, a foster couple has been charged in the death of a 3-year-old after surveillance footage showed the child being repeatedly assaulted. “These cases show what happens when systems meant to protect children fail them,” said Laura Nally, director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights Children’s Program. “There’s a growing concern that these welfare checks are being used to carry out mass detentions of sponsors and unnecessarily return children to government custody.”

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Protests of a Costly and Historic Parade

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — President Trump is planning an elaborate and costly celebration for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army that coincides with his birthday.

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By April Ryan

It will rain on President Trump‘s parade on Saturday if most weather forecasts correctly predict the chance of storms. President Trump is planning an elaborate and costly celebration for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army that coincides with his birthday. When asked if he plans to attend the massive D.C. celebration, New York Democratic Congressman Greg Meeks exclaimed,” Heck no!” He elaborated, saying, “It is clear to me that what Donald J. Trump is trying to do is to emulate Vladimir Putin.” Trump and Putin, the Russian president, are friends. Meeks feels “that’s where he initially got the idea from when he saw the tanks going down the street and how people bow down to Vladimir Putin, how…that authoritarian runs his country where no one questions what he does.”

Meanwhile, around the nation 1600 protests are scheduled to coincide with what is happening in Washington, D.C. Democratic Congressman Al Greene confirms he will attend several “No King Day” protest rallies and marches in his home state of Texas. The congressman questions the president’s comments about using “force” for anyone trying to stop the parade. Reverand William Barber plans to be in Philadelphia on Saturday. “We are having a rally bringing people together,” the civil rights leader confirmed. The leader of Repairers of the Breach added, “Those rallies are gonna be massive and multiracial of every race, color, creed, religion, geographic area, so this is not a moment. We must have a constant movement.”

Weeks ago, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser warned the parade, and all its military might, and pageantry would cost “many millions of dollars” just to repair District streets after the heavy artillery tanks rolled down the historic roads in the nation’s capital. Tall gates and other barricades around the White House are part of the parade’s security measures. The Secret Service has warned of a high-security presence in the area for the parade. You can expect to see military tanks, dozens of other military vehicles, and thousands of service members marching along a route stretching nearly four miles from the Pentagon to the White House.

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Critics Question 2024 Results as Musk Tactics Surface

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Now, a Wisconsin nonprofit has filed a legal complaint accusing Musk, his America PAC, and a Musk-affiliated group called United States of America Inc. of violating state election laws by bribing voters.

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By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2024 has reignited questions about election integrity, particularly after his remarks thanking Elon Musk for what he called a “landslide” win in Pennsylvania. “He knows those computers better than anybody… all those vote-counting computers,” Trump said. “So, thank you to Elon.” The comment set off alarm, including Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett. “So, Trump is rambling on about he and Elon rigging the election?! Am I missing something or is he confessing to yet another damn crime?!” she posted on social media.

Now, a Wisconsin nonprofit has filed a legal complaint accusing Musk, his America PAC, and a Musk-affiliated group called United States of America Inc. of violating state election laws by bribing voters. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and two voters allege Musk handed out $1 million checks and that his PAC paid $100 to registered voters who signed petitions and gave their contact information. Wisconsin law prohibits offering anything of value over $1 to encourage someone to vote. The complaint also cites violations of the state’s lottery ban. The plaintiffs are asking a court to declare the actions illegal, prevent future violations, and award damages if applicable.

The lawsuit follows a failed attempt by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to block Musk’s actions earlier this year. Kaul argued that Musk’s conduct amounted to illegal inducement, but courts declined to intervene before the April state Supreme Court election. Jeff Mandell, president and general counsel for Law Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, said this new case is being filed under more typical legal timelines. “We’re trying to create … accountability in a more regular timeline, in a way that gives the courts the opportunity to look at this more carefully,” Mandell said.

Musk, who served briefly as a Trump adviser and led a short-lived federal agency focused on cost-cutting, has denied wrongdoing. He initially promoted the giveaways as rewards for early voters but later revised eligibility criteria following legal scrutiny. The controversy has added fuel to growing concerns over anomalies in places like Rockland County, New York, where Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly received virtually no votes despite Democratic victories in other races. “We know exactly what happened and how it unfolded, and we’re asking the court to say this is not acceptable,” Mandel has said.

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