On the day after she broke the internet, I'm giving flowers to Beyoncé. In case you missed it, Beyoncé announced that she'll be dropping her next album in March and released two songs yesterday. Both songs are country songs, which is a departure from Beyoncé's traditional style but one thing I've noticed about Bey is she's not going to be contained by your little perception about who she is or what she does.
Beyoncé represents so much of Black womanhood in 2023 to me. Black woman are both hyper-visible - we are seen and treated as an "other." Yet our work and accomplishments are often unseen making us invisible as well. Research shows you are less likely to remember the words and contributions of Black women. (https://buff.ly/42H2pob ) This under-attribution and lack of credit Black women receive means we are often not compensated or promoted at work as our peers who are not Black women, which exacerbates pay inequity and the wealth gap. In Beyoncé's case, even though she has won the most Grammys OF ALL TIME, the Academy of Music has yet to award her Album of the Year (https://buff.ly/3RI4N8T ) In 2023, Beyoncé had a similar concert run as Taylor Swift, yet popular media fawned over Ms Swift while ignoring the accomplishments of Mrs. Carter all together. (https://buff.ly/3SBpy74 )
Despite all this, Beyoncé remains committed to her craft and bringing joy to the BeyHive. This summer during her Renaissance tour, Beyoncé challenge her audience to a Mute Challenge during the song ENERGY. I loved seeing the videos of how the cities did and the joy attendees had at the concert. (And for the record, H-Town won lol) https://buff.ly/48dPcVg
Thank you for Beyoncé for giving such an exquisite example of doing your thing despite the haters. We see how brilliant you are.
This #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm celebrating 29 Black women who have influenced me through the ways they pursue their own liberation. Black women's work is often unrecognized and not cited, and this month I'm determined to pass out a few flowers to Black women. #Day12 #29LoveLettersToBlackWomen #GiveBlackWomenTheirFlowers
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