After much speculation as to whether she’d ever make an appearance, Beyoncé finally joined Vice President Kamala Harris at a Houston rally on Friday.
The singer was introduced by her mother, Tina Knowles, and joined onstage by her former Destiny’s Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland. Earlier in the evening, country music’s Willie Nelson performed.
“We are at the precipice of an enormous shift,” Beyoncé told the crowd. “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother, a mother who cares about the world our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we are not divided, our past or present or future.”
“We’re all part of something much bigger. We must vote and we need you,” she said. “Let’s do this. Ladies and gentlemen, give a big, loud Texas welcome to the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris.”
During Harris’ speech, the vice president focused on reproductive rights. “In America, freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed. It is ours. By right. And that includes the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have the government telling her what to do,” Harris said.
She also noted that when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, she would sign it into law.
Before Beyoncé spoke, Rowland told the crowd, “We are writing a new American story of kindness and hope.”
Knowles told her local Houston crowd that “you showed up and you showed out,” before quipping, “I’ve been so blessed in my life to have many careers, many Black jobs.”
Beyoncé’s appearance ends months of speculation about whether the singer would publicly endorse the Democratic party’s presidential nominee. For Harris’ campaign, Beyoncé had reportedly granted approval to use her song, “Freedom.” The song, which champions Black women’s empowerment, has since become an anthem for Harris’ 2024 campaign.
At the time of the Democratic National Convention, rumours circulated that Beyoncé would show up at one point during the four-day event. However, reporters confirmed at the time that the singer never planned on attending.
“We never put out anything about Beyoncé. We denied it every time the media asked us even though, by the way, people on my staff didn’t believe me,” Ricky Kirshner told reporters in August. “I kept getting texts from news organizations saying, ‘When is Beyoncé coming out?’ But come on, we have the biggest star, the Democratic nominee for president. Why would we overshadow that?”
Beyonce joins the myriad of stars who have rallied behind Harris throughout this election.
Tony Goldwyn, Mindy Kaling and Kerry Washington all made speeches at the DNC which also included performances by Pink, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Patti LaBelle.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus moderated a daytime panel and Harris joined Oprah Winfrey for an interview with stars like Jennifer Lopez, Ben Stiller, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep virtually joining to urge people to vote. Taylor Swift also publicly endorsed Harris on social media.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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