“Her music is unapologetically, boundlessly and globally Black,” Thomas said. In many cases, lighter skinned slaves were the product of sexual violence by White men against enslaved Black women. Lighter skinned Black women were often deemed “redbones,” a term that for some undermined their Black heritage by implying that the women were mixed non-Black ancestry. A 2023 survey by nonprofit Catalyst found women with darker skin tones were more likely to experience workplace racism than women with lighter skin. “I also get to be critical of Beyoncé,” Thomas said.

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Persons: Queen Bey, “, Tina Knowles, ” Knowles, “ Brown, Geneva Thomas, ” Thomas, ”, JeffriAnne Wilder, Wilder, White, ” Wilder, Beyoncé, India Arie, ” Arie, Arie, ” Beyoncé, Kevin Mazur, Oscar, Octavia Spencer, Thomas, she’s Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles, Catalyst, University of Chicago Press, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Locations: America, New York, Black America, London, England