Lift Every Voice and Sing PDF

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this essay is about beyonce and her impact on black americans...

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Kaliyah Lewis English 101 12/9/20

Lift Every Voice and Sing

In theory many people would describe music as a language that speaks to all of us. It makes us happy, sad, uplifts us, and expresses our emotions in a way that is beautiful. According to Which Rock Star Will Historians of the Future Remember written by Chuck Klosterman, all music as of now “will exist as something people have to be taught to feel and understand” (Klosterman, 2016) In other words, in the world of constant change the things we know now will be history especially in this time and age. A special genre is Rhythm and Blues, aka R&B, it was developed by “African Americans for African American audiences in the United States in the early to mid-1940s” (Rhythm and Blues, p.1) and it is my favorite type of music now and then as a young child. Chuck Klosterman states that entire genre of marching band music “Is now encapsulated in one person: John Philip Sousa” (Klosterman, 2016). It has also been stated by Chuck Klosterman that “Bob Marley will eventually have the same tenacity and familiarity as the worldwide memory of reggae itself” (Klosterman, 2016), In other words, the author is saying that the entire genre of Reggae Music is encapsulated into Bob Marley. The genre of Rhythm and Blues will be encapsulated in Beyonce of her work ethic, music, and style which will go down in history for her dedication and pride in her and representation of Black Culture. Beyonce rose to fame in the late 1990’s as the lead singer in a group called Destiny’s Child. However, she broke apart from the group in the early 2000’s and has blown up into her fame. In her entire career has a whole she has won 83 awards, 24 of them are Grammy’s. Overall, she has used her platform in a way to empower women and make them feel good using songs like “Run the World (Girls)”, “Diva”, “Me, Myself, and I”, “I Ain’t Sorry”, and “Bow Down” along with albums like “Beyonce”, “Bday”, etc. Beyonce has also used her platform to uplift the black community and to bring awareness to systematic

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and social issues that African Americans face. She has used albums like “Lemonade”, Lion King: The Gift, and Homecoming: The Live Album. Lemonade is used in a way to express feminism and to express the hurt of many women. In her album she shows the way that wisdom is gained through the experience of emotion pain and devastation. In Erica B. Edwards, Does Beyonce’s Lemonade Really Teach Us How to Turn Lemons into Lemonade? she states that “Lemonade ends with a reminder that Black people and their culture have always been and will always be resilient, beautiful, and joyful—no matter the circumstance.” (Edwards, 2016) Lemonade is a form of art that emphasizes and shows Black Women’s oppression and makes a statement that supports Black Women in to claiming their power and independence. In words, Edwards claims that Lemonade is “the construction of a powerfully symbolic black female sisterhood that resists invisibility, that refuses to be silent”. According to Beyonce by Melissa Harris-Perry, is an experience where “Beyoncé publicly embraced explicitly feminist

blackness at a politically risky moment”. “Formation” is a big staple for this album regarding blackness as she sings in her song “I like my baby hair with baby hair and afros” and “I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils” (Formation, 0:32-0:37). Beyonce performed this song at the Super Bowl halftime, embracing one of the most renowned and respected groups of the civil rights movement, the Black Panthers. Beyonce and her dancers paid homage to them as they dressed in outfits that resembled the Black Panthers wore.

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(Beyonce at the 2016 Superbowl Half-Time show, 2016)

Beyonce has been a big representative of my life as a young black woman. She uses her platform in a way to uplift the black culture and shows how proud she is of her culture. One of her most influential arts to me is her cover of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” written by J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson. It is the Black National Anthem and is superb to Black Culture. Beyonce has contributed in many ways to the culture in ways that will go down in history. As stated in Leading Women by CNN in season 1 episode 14 “Beyoncé inspires others to dream, because she is always reminding us that she was just this young girl out of Houston, Texas, who had a dream to be a performer. And look at her now”. She brings inspiration to others and although I do not have the same goal and dream to be a superstar. It sure does bring me hope that I can reach my very own goals and dreams. People will remember Beyonce years from now because she took a topic that many people would not talk about it to the light. Harris-Perry

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states that “Beyoncé used personal resilience and political resistance to transform the sour into something sustaining.” In other words, the author is saying that Beyonce holds value to her work and has turned a topic that was often resented into something encouraging.

In conclusion, I wrote of how Beyonce, a singer and activist, will have the entire genre of Rhythm and Blues encapsulated into her and her career. She is a public figure whom is brave enough to give voice to black struggle and black beauty. Beyoncé’s fame spans generations and racial/ethnic groups. She is a revered performer and so her messages, actions, and words are spread all over. Although, it is unfortunate that Beyonce as a person is opposed to take particular positions about social issues. That’s the art that she decided to create to show off Black history, culture, tradition, and wisdom. Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter.

Works Referenced

Berman, Judy. “Homecoming Review: Beyoncé Claims Coachella for Black Culture.” Time, Time, 17 Apr. 2019, time.com/5572535/beyonce-homecoming-coachella-netflix-review/. Olutola, Sarah. “I Ain’t Sorry: Beyoncé, Serena, and Hegemonic Hierarchies in Lemonade.” Popular Music & Society, vol. 42, no. 1, Feb. 2019, pp. 99–117. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/03007766.2019.1555897 Harris-perry, Melissa. “Beyoncé.” TIME Magazine, vol. 188, no. 25–26, Dec. 2016, pp. 124– 128. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cookie&db=f5h&AN=120052883&site=edslive&scope=site. Leading Women. [Episode 14], Beyonce/Sheryl Sandberg. CNN Newsource Sales, 2013. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

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direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cookie&db=edsasp&AN=edsasp.ASP4063816.marc&sit e=eds-live&scope=site. Ruth, Michael. “Rhythm and Blues.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2020. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cookie&db=ers&AN=89408510&site=edslive&scope=site HOMPSON, CHERYL. “The Sweet Taste of Lemonade.” Herizons, vol. 30, no. 1, Summer 2016, pp. 40–42. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cookie&db=f5h&AN=117047940&site=edslive&scope=site. Klosterman, Chuck. “Which Rock Star Will Historians of the Future Remember?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 May 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/magazine/which-rock-star-will-historians-of-the-futureremember.html?_r=1....