I have been waiting for Beyonce to release an album for nearly two and a half years and on April 23, my prayers were answered with "Lemonade," an undeniable masterpiece of a visual album featuring powerful songs that amplify the beauty and the struggle of African-American women. The album includes Malcolm X speech samples, appearances from Serena Williams, Zendaya and Amandla Stenberg, spoken word from the Young Poet Laureate Warsan Shire and humbling, heartbreaking images of the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown holding the school photos of their dead children. "Lemonade" has already seemingly become one of the most popular albums of 2016 even only being released for less than a week.
On the first night of the album's release, "Lemonade" had already garnered several million downloads on the music streaming site Tidal. Social media sites were blowing up with talk of "Lemonade" for the entirety of this weekend, and it seemed as though the entire world was attempting to analyze the visual album. A majority of articles and social media content discussed how there was an absence of white dancers within the videos and accused Beyonce of being "racist" because she left out the representation of white people. Oddly enough, everything was written by, you guessed it, white people. I am white myself, and I have been a fan of Beyonce since the days of Destiny’s Child. But I do not believe that white people have the right to interpret and, in some cases, criticize, a visual album that’s purpose was to empower a group of people that have been marginalized since the beginning of recorded history in this country, the African-American woman.
African-American women have perpetually been on the short end of the stick in regards to how they have been treated throughout history. The struggles of African Americans have never been properly spoken about; from the time of slavery where women were the victims of the worst brutalization to now when African-American women have been victims of police brutality, such as the 2015 murder of civil rights activist Sandra Bland, but the issue is rarely given media attention. African Americans have a long history of being belittled for their characteristic such as their hair, their bodies and their facial features. A multi-million dollar cosmetic and hair care industry exists based on the insecurities of African-American women that has been fueled by what the media deems acceptable. African-American women are also underrepresented in almost every field from politics to film. Journalist Yvanna Saint-Fort stated in The Daily Targum that "If black women don't fight for themselves, no one else will." By Beyonce gathering together some of the most influential African-American women on the face of the planet, she has aided in this battle to promote power and self-love among the black community.
"Lemonade" was not made for me, and I can understand and appreciate this. Sometimes, things aren’t made for white people. Therefore, we do not have the right to claim it and decide what it means. Of course, people may enjoy the album regardless of skin color, but the white perspective on "Lemonade" is unimportant and unnecessary. What truly matters is the significance that this album will have in the black community, especially among women who have gone too long being treated as less. Nothing about this should be offensive either — everything in this country has been driven by the white perspective, and it’s time we embrace everyone's view. However, I have some faith in my own generation to be able to handle this task, as my peers are seemingly more sensitive than past generations. The concept is complicated to a group who has never been subjected to anything remotely marginalizing, but to negatively interpret "Lemonade" without regarding what this album means to certain people is neglectful to the voices of the long unheard black women.
There are instances where white allies will speak up on behalf of the black community, and this is fantastic. But looking around social media post-release of "Lemonade," there have been way too many white people trying to critique an album that was not intended to speak to them directly. If you’re white and reading this, breathe and realize not everything is meant for you. Being a white person who is an ally of the Black Lives Matter movement, I realize many of the issues I cannot speak on because I have no experience. I have never been on the receiving end of institutionalized racism or experienced what it is like to live in a world constantly trying to bring me down. I have come to learn it is not my place to speak on this issues but rather do everything I can to make sure black voices are heard loudly and clearly.
For many Beyonce fans, waiting this long for an album and being gifted such a masterpiece as raw, personal and visually magnificent as "Lemonade" is nothing short of a miracle. Although I may feel blessed by this album, I can recognize it is not for me. Rather, I can simply sit back and enjoy the magic Beyonce has provided. This does not threaten me and should not threaten white people in general. I cannot act as if I know the struggles of growing up as an African-American girl in this country and it would be wrong of me to speak on behalf of those who have, as I would be taking away the platform that they have been long denied. It is essential for white people to be able to comprehend that we do not have the right to try to critique this album and accuse Beyonce of not incorporating what we identify as our reality. Instead, we must embrace the fact that there is now a beautiful visual album for another group to identify with. As white people, we can still enjoy that Beyonce has gifted us "Lemonade" and we have been granted opportunity to see the power of black women having a voice.
