Black Is __________.
I find myself sitting with the reality today, that most of the world won't care about the body of art that Beyoncé just put out today. They haven't spent the last month awaiting its arrival, and if they find themselves watching it, they'll most likely turn it off within the first 5 minutes because it doesn't look like the art that they're used to consuming. It'll come across as eccentric, they'll think she's doing too much or that it's weird. They'll probably make jokes about it and laugh at the things they don't understand, the culture they don't understand - couldn't understand.
And that's unfortunate.
Last summer, Disney released a live-action version of the classic childhood fav "The Lion King" featuring an all-star cast and talking animals. While I'm gonna just go ahead and say that I wasn't 100% a fan, what came of the project itself was worth the reboot. In connection with the movie's release, Beyoncé dropped a soundtrack called "The Gift" that featured well-known artists from the African diaspora and songs that correlated to plots within the movie. Now fast forward a year later, and she's released a visual of that soundtrack by the name of "Black is King".
Now, when I first heard the name of the visual, I won't lie - I was kind of like .... okay? The world is in this state of unlearning and the word "Black" is now being thrown around and fit into any space in which it fits and a lot of creatives are making art surrounding the Black experience and I'm all for it, but again, I was still kind of like ... "that's an interesting title". Until I heard her explanation.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Beyoncé said "'Black Is King' means Black is regal and rich in history in purpose and in lineage." She also added "my hope for this film is that it shifts the global perception of the word 'Black,' which has always meant inspiration and love and strength and beauty to me".
Upon watching the visual, it was immediately visually stunning and I recognized that I could only view it as such because there was an understanding within myself of what is considered beautiful despite it's "abnormal" representation within our society. The visual told the story of The Lion King through the songs on the soundtrack with images of black people that are not so commonly celebrated. It celebrated the unique history and traditions within the African diaspora and shed a light on it's beauty even if it's not necessarily something you could understand or resonate with personally. You cannot deny its beauty.
After watching "Black Is King", I found myself thinking about how I was never exactly taught to love my Blackness and how it is truly only within these last few years, (my college years & adult years) that I found the beauty within myself. It makes me take a look at the way in which I consumed art and what type of art I consumed, I remember when the "Lemonade" visuals came out, I wasn't quite ready to consume them in the way I should've. Yet now, looking at "Black Is King", it's an extension of the way in which Black culture and history is celebrated within Lemonade and I can only see it for the beautiful body of art that it is.
I've never in my life been so proud to be Black and recognize all that I've had to unlearn over the years. Growing up truly feeling ugly because I was never "first pick" or fit under the umbrella of what was considered "pretty" or "attractive", assimilating to a culture that wasn't exactly meant for me yet wanting to belong as badly and now feeling like I finally found home within my own understanding. The visual for Brown-Skin Girl almost brought tears to my eyes for this very reason. A celebration of how dark and rich your skin is, a celebration to how beautiful you are even if you can't see it. A song celebrating all of the things you've been taught to want to change with lyrics that could quite literally make you cry with how beautiful they are.
In the end, I couldn't help but find myself inspired. It made me think of Beyoncé statement of shifting the perception of the word Black and what it can be synonymous with. As an adult, I find pride and love and gratitude for my history, the culture, my newfound understanding. With her art, Beyoncé creates a space in which Black is beautiful in a plethora of ways. We celebrate Black and all things associated with, showing love and appreciation to the women that we would be nothing without and the men that we raise up in that same love. In dedicating the project to her son "Sir Carter", Beyoncé reiterates the notion of reminding us where we come from and what we possess. In a love letter to her son that has yet to learn his own strength.
Through this, I am reminded that Black is Love.
Black is Power.
Black is Understanding.
Black is Pride.
Black is Knowledge.
Black is Culture.
Black is Beauty.
And the list goes on and on. So I encourage you to watch the film, and really ingest it for what it is. Set aside all of the things that you've probably been taught about what African culture looks like and is, and in the end - finish the sentence in your own words.
Black Is ________.
