Only Queen Bey herself could turn the lemons of infidelity and oppression into “Lemonade” and leave a sour taste in Jay-Z’s mouth.

Beyoncé’s hour-long visual album, which was released Saturday on HBO, can only be described as a masterpiece. Her poised and raw approach to some of the touchiest topics makes “Lemonade” a must-watch. Apart from the impressive cinematography, the audience was drawn to the jabs that hinted at Jay-Z’s romantic disloyalty to Beyoncé. And at her first Formation World Tour date, fans were further tantalized when Beyoncé, despite the cheating rumors, dedicated the romantic song “Halo” to her “beautiful husband (who she loves) so much.”

With nods to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s potentially rocky relationship and “Becky with the good hair,” fans were wondering what kind of message Beyoncé was really trying to send. But what viewers should take away from this video, besides bomb Instagram captions and memes, is the underlying political message. By putting out “Lemonade,” Beyoncé wanted to dump the image of a woman scorned and instead create an empowering anthem specifically for women of color who march to their own beat.

“Lemonade” is about so much more than a tale of an unfaithful husband. Beyoncé sets the tone with a famous quote from Malcolm X, “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” Just when fans thought this would be yet another album of love and loss, Beyoncé makes sure that the conversation surrounding her new album is also a political one about the trials of being a black woman in the United States.

Beyoncé tackles the tough parts of black identity in the music video for “Resurrection” where she touches explicitly on the Black Lives Matter movement. The clip features Sybrina Fulton, Lesley McSpadden and Gwen Carr, the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. All three of these black women lost their loved ones at the hands of law enforcement and Beyoncé is acknowledging the trend of excessive police force facing the black community.

These same themes are also addressed in “Formation,” which is included in the audio version of “Lemonade.” The image of Beyoncé sinking on top of a police car provided blatant commentary on the unjust treatment of black people in America and the song’s Super Bowl performance caught society’s attention as well.

Beyoncé received criticism for the costumes of her dancers, which were inspired by the Black Panther Party. Instead of being silenced by unfair perceptions of the black community, Beyoncé used those unwarranted takes on her music to fuel her even more politically-charged album.

This deeply political attitude even extends to the casting of “Lemonade.” The celebrities who made cameos in the video share Beyoncé’s unapologetically black attitude and show that self-love and self-confidence can be channeled at any age.

Beyoncé’s young daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who is learning to come into her own, makes an appearance. Famously proud women of color Zendaya and Serena Williams, also have roles. And even Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, who instilled feminist values in Beyoncé growing up, has a part. Beyoncé presents these carefree, hardworking, passionate black girls and women to serve as role models in an artistic and tasteful way.

Most notably out of the “Lemonade” cast, Zendaya embraces her black heritage in the same way that Beyoncé does. The young singer and actress took a stand last year against Giuliana Rancic’s insulting comments on black beauty, showing how the cast of “Lemonade” was chosen strategically in order to ensure that the women in the video embodied the message, both onscreen and off-screen.

The poetic verses in between songs, which were written by African woman writer Warsan Shire, helped piece together the various stages within the video and furthered the importance of all types of black women embracing their culture. Beyoncé is no stranger to incorporating literary and academic figures to strengthen the message behind her art: she also featured African feminist scholar Chimamanda Adichie in the song “Flawless***” on her last album.

These varied tributes to black womanhood enforce the message that fans of color should practice self-love, despite the absence of fair, complex representations of black women from mainstream media. Not only does “Lemonade” showcase the different experiences of black women everywhere, but in celebrating them on such a large platform, demands society’s attention.

Casarae Gibson, an assistant professor of African American studies in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, shared her perspective on how Beyoncé’s visual album sparked a conversation for how and whether black women’s stories are being told to the public.

“Beyoncé affirms that her artistic story is to be (placed) in the center and everyone must hear black women’s stories because ‘black women’s stories matter’ which shifts the discourse of self-love and empowerment to a conversation about the nuances of it and holding accountable the importance of black women’s stories,” Gibson said in an email.

Even though many want to focus on the aftermath of Jay-Z’s unfaithfulness, Beyoncé’s take on her story is impressive because she portrays herself as hopeful, but ultimately no-nonsense in the face of the strife. Planting her feet firmly on the ground, she makes it clear that although she is aware of the wrongdoings within her own marriage and in greater society, she will not be a victimized.

Ivana Pino is a freshman political science major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at ivpino@syr.edu.

Published on May 3, 2016 at 1:31 am