Reclaimed!
BY KISHARA JOY GRIFFIN, MSW
Happy Women's History Month! March is special for highlighting the contributions women have made to history, culture, and society. It has been celebrated in the United States since 1987 (History.com Editors, 2024). This Women's History Month, let’s bring special attention to Black women and the trend of reclaiming our identities, cultural traditions, and passions! Reclaiming as an act is taking back what has been taken from you! When I think of a Black woman who has beautifully lived out this concept, Beyoncé comes to my mind.
My first introduction to Beyoncé was through the release of Destiny’s Child’s “No, No, No” single release. I’ve grown to watch Beyoncé shift from R&B to gospel music, and in my college years, I watched Beyoncé cross over to pop music, making hit songs with Lady Gaga, and then in later years, she tipped her foot into the hip-hop pool with her boo Jay-Z and peer Nicki Minaj. To me, Beyoncé and her team studied music trends and were strategic into making these shifts to get to the BAG! I ain't mad at all!
In recent weeks, Beyoncé has made her transition into country music. This transition is a huge surprise for me. My first thought was, “OMG, K. Michelle doesn’t stand a chance with her dream to be a country star now that Beyoncé is in the mix.” Then my thoughts led me to poke around for more information.
On many social media platforms, influencers created theories about Beyoncé’s shift into the country music space. It is said that she is looking to reclaim the country music genre to re-establish it as a Black music genre. It’s believed that Beyoncé wants to challenge the country music world by embracing her southern roots and aiming to amplify Black artistry in the country world. These theories have not been confirmed by Beyoncé however; UnitedMasters, an independent music distribution company, chimed in on the conversation by releasing the following social media thread on their page stating, “Beyoncé has become the first Black woman with a number 1 country record; despite the popularity of Beyoncé’s new singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” country radio stations were reluctant to add the songs in rotation.
UnitedMasters then goes on to say, fans contacted the country radio stations to advocate for her music to be played; this incident mirrored the controversial response to Beyoncé's 2016 release of “Daddy’s Lessons” from the album Lemonade. Additionally, UnitedMasters mentioned the criticism Beyoncé gained from performing at the Country Music Awards show, the criticism questioned if Beyoncé was “country enough” to have been given the platform to perform. UnitedMasters ended their social media thread praising Beyoncé for proving her artistic versatility and exploration of different music genres.
Seeing these theories from many influencers and the thread posted by UnitedMasters pushed me to really see the beauty found in Beyoncé’s journey. That beauty is through the lessons we can learn about reclaiming.
What we can first learn is that reclaiming is intentional and measured: finding the missing piece, understanding what the barrier is, and intentionally restoring it to our lives by making it a part of our experiences as often as possible. Mentioned above, Beyoncé first gave us a taste of her expressions of country music in 2016. She teased the world with her country shift before dropping a full project and that gave her the data she needed to move in the right direction for herself.
Secondly, what we can learn about reclaiming is that not everyone will be a fan of your efforts. Most people will not even acknowledge what you are doing; they may even question the validity of your efforts. Allowing yourself space to acknowledge this will be a part of the journey, and figuring out how to engage or disengage in the lack of acknowledgment will be solely up to you. In this case, Beyoncé has not spoken out AT ALL about the pushback to her recent country release. She’s allowing her music and artistic expression to do the talking. Are you open to allowing your presence and efforts of reclaiming your choice target to do the talking?
Lastly, there will be some people who fully support your efforts. Allowing and receiving support from others who see your vision and want to contribute in meaningful ways can be the hopeful and encouraging boost you may need on your journey to reclaim your choice target. It’s so common for folks to give us positive feedback, and we respond with minimizing or an overly humble thank you. Beyoncé’s fans advocated for her to be played on radio when they found out she was being blocked. Imagine how far those songs would have gone if Beyoncé told everyone to stand down or just shaken it off like it’s cool. Maybe that’s a stretch … however, the overarching point is to encourage Black women to accept support and be open to receiving credit during your journey of reclaiming. It's well deserved and necessary to sustain your efforts to reclaim your identity, cultural traditions, and passions.
What we can learn from Beyoncé’s journey is that it’s about what feels right for you! Finding the path that brings the most significance to that connection will allow you to take more steps toward it. Remember it’s your journey and only you know what feels right for you; pay attention to those feelings.
Women’s History Month is often celebrating women who are most noticed in society. This year, let’s take note of ourselves and allow those who inspire us to truly implement steps to explore, develop, strengthen, and deepen our connection to what we want to reclaim.
Happy Women’s History Month!
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Kishara Joy Griffin, MSW, (she/her) is a therapist for the Sister Circle program who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and minor in sociology from the University of Maine Farmington. She later received her master’s degree in social work from Boston University. Kishara is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). She is passionate about social equity, woman empowerment, and navigating religious trauma. Kishara encourages individual and collective healing through sustaining safe, judgement-free, therapeutic spaces for clients.
REFERENCES
History.com Editors. (2024, March.) Women’s History Month 2024. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/womens-history-month
UnitedMasters Instagram Account. (2024, March.) #Beyonce leads the pack in artist creativity - blending genres and becoming the First Black Woman with a #1 Country Song. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/unitedmasters
