"Everything Shows Up for Me on Time."

The aftermath of the Grammys has set an amazing tone for Black History Month 2024. The annual run-of-the-mill White Academy snubs don’t have us nearly as fixated as the collective of iconic Black Power moments. We saw Blue Ivy Carter dressed in all white, clearly feeling godly. We saw CoCo Jones, Victoria Monet, SZA and so many others shine in their much deserved glory. We saw just how fiercely Beyoncé's soul and poker face refused to be broken. We also witnessed Queen Bey’s unmatched fashion genius as she served custom Louis Vuitton blingy cowgirl realness. The rodeo is happening here in Houston in just a few short weeks, and Mrs. Carter set the perfect fashion benchmark. These magnificent moments are circulating social media on loop and I honestly find it so satisfying.?

We have come a long way-- but obviously have much further to go. Growing up, I don’t recall seeing this many of “us” win this BIG! We only saw this many Black celebrities holding trophies during the BET Awards, really. Growing up, I never paid much attention to the Grammys, Oscars, Emmys--none of them. However, in the last few years, we as a people have made some room for our Black faces in these elite entertainment spheres, and I love it.

To stay on track with what I wanted to reflect on, I want to call to memory Jay-Z’s Global Impact Award speech.? He stood in his power as a passionate and protective spouse to speak up on behalf of his wife. Rightfully so, as he has an undisputed front row seat to the work, dedication and sacrifice Beyoncé devotes to her craft. He brought up a fair, valid and logistical point. Beyoncé has a record breaking streak of Grammy wins, however, she has never won the Album of the Year award. Watching his acceptance speech, my logical, Taurus brain received his statement as a legitimate sound observation. “By your own metric…” he prefaced and that was pure gold.???

When he addressed Beyoncé as “young lady,” I knew he was talking to the little girl in her who still has a dream of winning Album of the Year. It doesn’t matter how decorated her resume already is-- she still has aspirations. The aftermath of Mr. Carter’s call for the Academy to “do better,” has caused a hailstorm of controversy. We don’t see any cap in Beyoncé's rap when she says, “You know you that B*tch when you cause all this conversation.”

Jay-Z has given the entire world a stage to host a global internet discussion to address his points. “Even by your own metric...that doesn't work.” He challenged the Academy to make it make sense. He and the entire entertainment industry are scratching their heads over his groundbreaking observations. There are way more questions than answers. Answers that we may not see a solution for until possibly next year’s awards. In the meantime, there are other parts of his speech that deserve a spotlight.

Jay-Z’s uplifting advice to his wife and the whole world watching was to “forget the Grammys, just keep showing up.” He stole glances at his daughter as he encouraged all listeners to, “keep showing up until they give you the accolades you feel you deserve, until they call you a genius, until they call you the greatest of all time. You feel me?” Yes! I felt every word of what HOV said. These wonderful parting words brought to mind our affirmation card, “Everything shows up for me on time.”?

Jay-Z illuminated how deeply we have to trust the process and timing of how we meet our destiny. I have full belief that Beyoncé will take home the Album of the Year Grammy one day. We saw and heard in Victoria Monet’s speech and subsequent resurfaced tweets that she’s been visualizing cradling her Grammys for years!

Now, we as a collective of Bey Hive members & Jay-Z fans have begun the visualization of our Queen taking home that coveted award. Until then, all of us with a dream in our hearts need to keep continuing to show up daily. We keep showing up and trust that everything will meet us on time when it’s supposed to. Regardless of the recognition we do or don’t receive, we keep showing up. We stay committed to our goals because we know they all map back to our overarching soul mission here on this planet. The destiny will be fulfilled when the time is right.?

-Ariel Celeste (02/06/2024)