Lifestyle
Resurrection Our Way: On Beyoncé, Linda Martell, and Staging Our Own Renaissance
While “Cowboy Carter” brings country music’s black roots to the forefront, Beyoncé reminds us of the infinite power of legacy.
Have you ever been invited to a spot, only to seek out out that you just were obviously not welcome there?
Lord knows I’ve been there more times than I could anticipate or count. Each time this humiliation doesn’t diminish; but increasingly I’m learning the best way to emerge from these moments unscathed, stronger and brighter, within the hope that I’ll leave these places higher than once I arrived.
Well, continuing the era of turning lemons into lemonade, Beyoncé’s recent album ‘Cowboy Carter’ she tries to point out how she handled similar experiences. According to Beyoncé, her recent album “was born out of an experience I had many years ago where I didn’t feel welcome… and it was very clear that I wasn’t.” Many assumed that the experience in query was the general public moment during which she was invited to perform “Daddy Lessons” on the 2016 Country Music Association Awards (CMA) – the moment she selected former industry darling The Dixie Chicks (now known simply as “The Chicks”) to hitch her on stage – only to find that she is an unwelcome presence.
“Some were outraged that Beyoncé and the Dixie Chicks, ostracized from the country music community, were allowed to perform at the 2016 CMA Awards,” Gerren Keith Gaynor reported for Grio on the time. Angry country music fans then forced the CMA to remove all traces of Beyoncé from its online recaps in a shocking gesture that amounted to erasure. While some have speculated that political differences between Beyoncé, The Dixie Chicks and the CMA’s core fans led to her performance being faraway from their platform, such erasure of disparate voices stays unprecedented within the entertainment industry. As an additional insult, despite removing it from its website and social media, the CMA continued to advertise free downloads of the performance in a very exploitative manner.
Instead of specializing in the anti-black comments and reception that Beyoncé experienced in purist country music circles, the Texas native staked her own claim to the genre and re-located our pioneers, giving them an area to talk and sing for themselves. He joins a growing procession of Black artists who’ve leveraged each the moment and the genre’s true legacy to reclaim their place within the country music industry.
In several tributes on “Renaissance, Act I” on “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé pays homage to the country music pioneer, designating her album break as “The Linda Martell Show.” While Martell herself questions the meaning of “genres,” Beyoncé pays homage to other black forebears in country music, surrounding her listeners with a sonic majesty that evokes the tradition of restorative justice and liberation theology present in Hebrews 12:1-2: :
It’s no coincidence that Beyoncé pays tribute Linda Martell, the primary black woman to perform on the Grand Ole Opry in 1969. Capturing the essence of overcoming adversity and emerging with a legacy for future generations, Martell significantly influenced the genre together with her album “Color me, country” in 1970, marking a historic moment as the first major release by a black female artist in country music.
With the long-awaited release of “Cowboy Carter,” the newfound interest in Martell’s contributions, including the documentary and awards, highlights an overdue shift toward inclusivity and appreciation for diverse country music narratives and legacies.
Martell’s tributes not only celebrate her contributions, but also symbolize the resurrection of her story, reflecting Easter’s profound message of rebirth and triumph over oppression. We are reminded that there is always someone who has prepared the way for us to do what we do, big or small. We must say their names as in meditation, considering them a prayer of thanksgiving for the continuation of the work.
As I think about Resurrection Sunday both as a theologian and musicologist, given my cultural upbringing, personal experiences, and academic and spiritual training, themes of empowerment and renewal are central to this commemoration by Christian believers. In African American culture, even if we do not believe or follow Christian practices, at the core of what we have experienced as a nation – and, as a result, the culture that has emerged for us as a people – speak parallel and unifying representations of hope, transformation, and empowerment. But aren’t these aspects of our lives what help us survive difficult situations, especially those in which we are told we don’t fit in?
In the Black prophetic tradition, our experiences as a people have deep meaning rooted in our history and are beacons that illuminate the source of the strength needed to overcome all pain, misery and conflict. This light illuminates our ability to embrace the promise that we will never be alone through all of this – and the ways in which we have “made it” – collectively and individually. Just as we understand that energy can never be created or destroyed, our ancestors understood us as energy beings for whom even death is not the end, but spiritually and physically it can be the beginning of something new.
The Good Friday premiere of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” and the tribute to Linda Martell embody the essence of Easter’s message of resurrection, bringing untold stories to light and celebrating the revival of cultural narratives we have long needed to know and celebrate. It is a moving reminder of our ongoing journey toward justice and representation, ensuring that the legacies of ancestors like Martell are remembered and honored. Through this album and the tributes it contains, we are invited to reflect on broader themes of holding space, redemption and resurrection, highlighting the importance of remembering and celebrating those who have paved the way for a more inclusive and equitable future.
The Rev. Dr. Alisha Lola Jones is a faith leader helping people navigate a dynamic world, as a consultant to numerous arts and faith-based organizations and as Professor of Music in Contemporary Societies on the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. She is an award-winning creator (Oxford University Press). For more information please visit DrAlisha.com.
!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||(),g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){ g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“film-recommended-film”,”true”)})}();
Featured Stories
- “Cowboy Carter” stars Rumi Carter, Linda Martell, Miley Cyrus and a cadre of black talent
- 9 thoughts on Beyoncé’s latest release ‘Cowboy Carter’ – Beyoncé’s album with some country tunes
- Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tracklist features a cover of “Jolene.”
- Beyoncé on the second act of ‘Cowboy Carter’: ‘It’s not a rustic album. “This is the ‘Beyoncé’ album”
- Country music star Maren Morris honors Black women who pioneered the genre on the CMAs
- Beyoncé’s “Daddy Lessons” rejected by the country’s Grammy committee
- Angry country fans urge CMA to remove all traces of Beyoncé online
- John Legend blames American racism for Beyoncé’s CMA controversy
The post Resurrection Our Way: On Beyoncé, Linda Martell, and Staging Our Own Renaissance appeared first on TheGrio.
Lifestyle
What is GiveTuesday? The annual day of giving is approaching
Since it began as a hashtag in 2012, Giving on Tuesdaythe Tuesday after Thanksgiving, became one of the largest collection days yr for non-profit organizations within the USA
GivingTuesday estimates that the GivingTuesday initiative will raise $3.1 billion for charities in 2022 and 2023.
This yr, GivingTuesday falls on December 3.
How did GivingTuesday start?
The hashtag #GivingTuesday began as a project of the 92nd Street Y in New York City in 2012 and have become an independent organization in 2020. It has grown right into a worldwide network of local organizations that promote giving of their communities, often on various dates which have local significance. like a vacation.
Today, the nonprofit organization GivingTuesday also brings together researchers working on topics related to on a regular basis giving. This too collects data from a big selection of sources comparable to payment processors, crowdfunding sites, worker transfer software and offering institutions donor really helpful fundstype of charity account.
What is the aim of GivingTuesday?
The hashtag has been began promote generosity and this nonprofit organization continues to advertise giving within the fullest sense of the word.
For nonprofits, the goal of GivingTuesday is to boost money and have interaction supporters. Many individuals are aware of the flood of email and mail appeals that coincide on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Essentially all major U.S. nonprofits will host fundraising campaigns, and plenty of smaller, local groups will participate as well.
Nonprofit organizations don’t have to be affiliated with GivingTuesday in any method to run a fundraising campaign. They can just do it, although GivingTuesday provides graphics and advice. In this manner, it stays a grassroots endeavor during which groups and donors participate as they please.
Was GivingTuesday a hit?
It will depend on the way you measure success, but it surely has definitely gone far beyond initial efforts to advertise giving on social media. The day has change into an everlasting and well-known event that focuses on charitable giving, volunteerism and civic participation within the U.S. and all over the world.
For years, GivingTuesday has been a serious fundraising goal for nonprofits, with many looking for to arrange pooled donations from major donors and leverage their network of supporters to contribute. This is the start year-end fundraising peakas nonprofits strive to fulfill their budget goals for next yr.
GivingTuesday giving in 2022 and 2023 totaled $3.1 billion, up from $2.7 billion in 2021. While that is loads to boost in a single day, the trend last yr was flat and with fewer donorswhich, in accordance with the organization, is a disturbing signal.
Lifestyle
BlaQue Community Cares is organizing a cash crowd for serious food
QNS reports that Queens, New York-based nonprofit BlaQue Community Cares is making an effort to assist raise awareness of Earnest Foods, an organic food market with the Cash Mob initiative.
The BlaQue Cash Mob program is a community-led event that goals to support local businesses, reminiscent of grocery stores in Jamaica, by encouraging shoppers to go to the shop and spend a certain quantity of cash, roughly $20. BlaQue founder Aleeia Abraham says cash drives are happening across New York City to extend support for local businesses. “I think it’s important to really encourage local shopping habits and strengthen the connections between residents and businesses and Black businesses, especially in Queens,” she said after hosting six events since 2021.
“We’ve been doing this for a while and we’ve found that it really helps the community discover new businesses that they may not have known existed.”
As a result, crowds increase sales and strengthen social bonds for independent businesses.
Earnest Foods opened in 2021 after recognizing the necessity for fresh produce in the world. As residents struggled to seek out fresh food, Abraham defines the shop as “an invaluable part of the southeast Queens community.” “There’s really nowhere to go in Queens, especially Black-owned businesses in Queens, to find something healthier to eat. We need to keep these businesses open,” she said.
“So someone just needs to make everyone aware that these companies exist and how to keep the dollars in our community. Organizing this cash crowd not only encourages people to buy, but also shows where our collective dollars stand, how it helps sustain businesses and directly serves and uplifts our community.”
The event will happen on November 24 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 123-01 Merrick Blvd in St. Albans. According to the shop’s co-owner, Earnest Flowers, he has partnered with several other Black-owned brands in the world to sell his products at the shop. Flowers is comfortable that his neighbors can come to his supermarket to purchase organic food and goods from local vendors like Celeste Sassine, owner of Sassy Sweet Vegan Treats.
At the grand opening three years ago which was visited by over 350 viewersSassine stated that the collaboration was “super, super, super exciting” to the purpose that the majority of the products were off the shelves inside hours.
Lifestyle
Keke Palmer Recalls the Key Advice Will Smith Gave Her as a Child: “It’s Hard to Be First”
Like many young people, actress Keke Palmer went through a phase wherein she clashed along with her parents. Recently in a performance at “Toast” podcast.Palmer revealed that fellow actor Will Smith helped her take care of the situation along with her family.
As a child star who has appeared on Nickelodeon and Disney productions, the “Akeelah and the Bee” actress explained how juggling fame has affected her and her family relationships — a lot in order that she admits she once considered emancipating herself from her parents.
Although her lawyer tried to get her into counseling, Palmer said it was Smith’s words that ultimately modified her mind.
“A couple of weeks go by, I’m on the set of ‘True Jackson, Vice President’ and I get a call from a very, very unknown number. And I said, “What? If it was strange, I would not answer,” she said, mentioning that she simply went back to work. Later, while retrieving her phone, Palmer received a voicemail from the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star.
“Hey Keke. This is Will. We’re here filming ‘The Karate Kid’ with (my son) Jaden and I just want to let you understand that I’ve talked (to your lawyer),’ Palmer continued, impersonating Smith. “He let me know every little thing you are going through and I need you to know that sometimes it’s hard to be the first, but you may do it. Just stay focused, love your loved ones and every little thing shall be high-quality.
Palmer remembers struggling as a child with the attention and fame that got here with climbing the ladder in the entertainment industry. While trying to adjust to the demands of her burgeoning profession, the actress recalls feeling that fame meant she would have to “throw (her) family away.”
“It’s something that happens when you leave and you can become a child artist, you can be the first person in your family to go to college, or you can be the first person in your family to get married,” Palmer said: explaining her feelings at that moment. “There are so many firsts that can happen as the generations of your family grow and evolve.”
Ultimately deciding not to undergo the emancipation process, Palmer emphasized the importance of getting a healthy community when navigating the entertainment industry.
“I think I’ve always felt like a lot of people, whether they’re big names or whether they’re my lawyers, have been a good community,” she added. “Also, my parents made sure I was around (people) who would encourage community rather than discord and separation.”
-
Press Release8 months ago
CEO of 360WiSE Launches Mentorship Program in Overtown Miami FL
-
Business and Finance6 months ago
The Importance of Owning Your Distribution Media Platform
-
Press Release7 months ago
U.S.-Africa Chamber of Commerce Appoints Robert Alexander of 360WiseMedia as Board Director
-
Business and Finance8 months ago
360Wise Media and McDonald’s NY Tri-State Owner Operators Celebrate Success of “Faces of Black History” Campaign with Over 2 Million Event Visits
-
Ben Crump7 months ago
Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees
-
Fitness7 months ago
Black sportswear brands for your 2024 fitness journey
-
Theater8 months ago
Applications open for the 2020-2021 Soul Producing National Black Theater residency – Black Theater Matters
-
Ben Crump8 months ago
Henrietta Lacks’ family members reach an agreement after her cells undergo advanced medical tests