Tag: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

It is a common belief among black people that the more successful we become, the more we should keep away from black culture — especially when white people are looking. Image Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Lawson, echoed this sentiment before her daughter’s performance: “I told Beyoncé that I was afraid that the predominately white audience at Coachella would be confused by all of the black culture and black college culture because it was something that they might not get,” she wrote on Instagram. “I have worked very hard to get to the point where I have a true voice,” Ms. Lawson recalls her daughter saying. “And at this point in my life and my career, I have a responsibility to do what’s best for the world and not what is most popular.” It would have made sense if Beyoncé decided to perform songs that were more culturally ambiguous, as to not alienate the people she was hired to entertain. She also amplified Malcolm X’s famous words about black women: “The most disrespected woman in America is the black woman. To Beyoncé, attending a historically black college is more than a niche experience coveted only by students and alumni. Beyoncé performed her sensuality proudly in those songs making political statement that a person can be both intellectually rigorous and sexually expressive. But it wasn’t clear whether, after Clive Davis called her “the first lady of music,” she would adhere to respectability politics, especially on a stage like Coachella, where she may have alienated a large portion of her audience. Black people often negotiate how much of ourselves we should show to make others comfortable. Beyoncé’s Coachella performance suggests that, as black people’s power grows, we should intentionally amplify the culture that nurtured us.

Black schools matter. That’s what Beyoncé said, in so many words, throughout her Saturday night Coachella performance. Her show was replete with a long list of references to America’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). It was “one band, one sound” as 100 black band members danced while playing instruments typical to those at your average HBCU homecoming. During the show, Beyoncé sang the “Black National Anthem (Lift Every Voice and Sing),” which represented a proud moment amid the NFL kneeling controversy. Among her many samples, “Swag Surfin’” by F.L.Y. also served as a salute to HBCUs. The 2009 song has been adopted as one of the most cherished traditions within the black college community and can be seen everywhere — from basketball and football games to parties and even graduation ceremonies. Throughout her serenading the crowd, Beyoncé incorporated a skit showing a probate (or coming out ceremony) for her pledges similar to that of Black Greek letter organizations, which make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council at institutions around the country. Her ode to the black college experience couldn’t be any clearer after it was announced that Beyoncé would donate $100,000 to four HBCUs for the 2018-2019 academic year through her BeyGOOD initiative.