What We’re Reading: Mater Mea Blog
Beyoncé is not only a goddess to all of her fans (like us!), but an icon of Black motherhood. Our friends over at Mater Mea, a platform that celebrates, supports, and empowers Black moms through content and community, spotlight Queen Bey's evolution as a woman and a mother.
(Below is an excerpt from the blog)
It’s well-established that we here at mater mea stan Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. Especially this ✊🏿✊🏾 ✊🏽 version of her that’s become undeniable since 2016’s Lemonade, her ode to Black womanhood. Since then, Beyoncé has been firm about speaking on her own terms and revealing parts of herself in service to her community.
And now that she’s a mom of three, we’re pretty sure that community is primarily Black mothers. Since becoming a Blue, Sir, and Rumi’s mom, motherhood is central to her work and what she wants to say. Her candid, fan-created Q&A in Elle Canada to promote her IVY PARK x adidas this week is the most recent example of this.
Yes, she’s living her affirmation of being a Black Bill Gates in the making. (She bought back the brand and owns the line outright, making her “one of the youngest women, and the only African-American woman, to exercise 100% ownership of an athleisure brand,” Elle Canada reports.)
But in being so open about her experiences, Beyoncé is literally using her body (of work and her physicality) to show reverence for Black mothers as mainstream culture continues to ignore or villainize them.
Answering a seemingly surface question from a fan who asked how she feels about not winning awards, Beyoncé replied with a whole entire word:
I BEGAN TO SEARCH FOR DEEPER MEANING WHEN LIFE BEGAN TO TEACH ME LESSONS I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED. SUCCESS LOOKS DIFFERENT TO ME NOW. I LEARNED THAT ALL PAIN AND LOSS IS IN FACT A GIFT. HAVING MISCARRIAGES TAUGHT ME THAT I HAD TO MOTHER MYSELF BEFORE I COULD BE A MOTHER TO SOMEONE ELSE. THEN I HAD BLUE, AND THE QUEST FOR MY PURPOSE BECAME SO MUCH DEEPER. I DIED AND WAS REBORN IN MY RELATIONSHIP, AND THE QUEST FOR SELF BECAME EVEN STRONGER. IT’S DIFFICULT FOR ME TO GO BACKWARDS. BEING “NUMBER ONE” WAS NO LONGER MY PRIORITY. MY TRUE WIN IS CREATING ART AND A LEGACY THAT WILL LIVE FAR BEYOND ME. THAT’S FULFILLING.