The initial sounds of Lemonade come out of our speakers like a call to arms for our ancestors; from slave ships to American soil. We are hit with imagery of Beyoncé leaning into an SUV and flashes of tall grass, an old building that is reminiscent of the forts you would see before anchoring in a new land or as many of our ancestors did; before leaving to never see your homeland again, and a chain hanging on worn wood evoking the hull of a slave ship. For us, it sets the stage for an emotional journey, one of black girl magic and excellence.

Lemonade goes through stages, stringing together a vignette of every woman, with the emotions that bind us. But, for us it is a love letter to the black woman. For the women who do not see their dark skin as the beauty that has been lucky enough to be kissed by the sun in tones specially mixed by God; or see their hair in all its glory and versatility as the crown that it is.

The story that Lemonade tells is about far more than romantic relationships. It has notes of sisterhood, personal growth, motherhood, and generational connections. The point is lost if this brave piece is reduced solely to the story of a relationship with your love; this is ultimately the story of a relationship with yourself.

As this is a visual album, the imagery evokes a rawness and vulnerability that exists beautifully with the music as well as the poetry of 2014 Young Poet Laureate of London, Warsan Shire that Beyonce' speaks throughout the film as a link between its different parts.

Lemonade begins with Intuition and as it continues, we see Beyoncé kneeling on a stage alone, with her head wrapped, performing “Pray You Catch Me”. Shots dart between her walking through a field, standing in that field singing, a brick cavern, and an outhouse. As the opening song to Lemonade it is the spark. With the lyric, “I pray to catch you whispering. I pray you catch me listening,” you can see that this will open up the wombs for many; for those times you just know, but yet you don’t know. The scenes throughout show that of a plantation filled with all of these beautiful black women dressed in 19th Century attire, who have taken it over. Making it something more beautiful than what it was.

We are exposed to groupings of black women, “unknown women walk the hallways at night”, echoes to the idea that our ancestors are with us; “the past and future merge to meet us here” and the theme of the generational curse, “what a fucking curse”. This is a link to our beginnings here that are rooted in the antebellum south and our diaspora; the things that have stayed with us; that have shaped us for generations.

The next stage is Denial. Where after jumping off a building and into a water filled room, Beyoncé narrates that everything has been tried to be pure, “I tried to change, close my mouth more . . . be less awake”. She lists all of the things she’s done to appease her love, for his love and yet she still questions. But she is awake now, and there is no going back, as she bursts through two doors and the water gushes out around her channeling Oshun, the African goddess of beauty, love and sweet water. She appears stronger and as she walks the street and “Hold Up” begins, she appears happy and almost giddy. The song speaks to how much she loves, “Hold up they don’t love you like I love . . . “, but also speaks to how he treats her, “What a wicked way to treat the girl who loves you”. As she continues her stroll, she acquires a bat that she uses to exert some energy, breaking a fire hydrant and a few windows, as the people that share the street with her play music and dance. It’s a moment of awareness as she sings, “I hop up out my bed and get my swag on. I look in the mirror, say what’s up . . .” She drops the bat and hops into a monster truck, and with a fire in her eyes and clearly one in her belly that is rising to meet the occasion, drives over cars on the street.

The poetry turns somewhat dark as we hit the next stage which is Anger, “If it’s what you truly want, I can wear her skin over mine . . .” But, in an essence this speaks to many women who feel that they must be someone else to be loved and accepted. Particularly for black women there is a constant reminder of beauty standards that many do not meet. They must create as she states, “. . . your perfect girl”. And that thought process in itself is indeed dark, lending to a perfect connection with the poetry used; as it is a dark existence to live a life where you question who you instinctively are, and your very own beauty against what you have been told is beautiful.

We are then taken to a parking garage where Beyoncé leans into an SUV as “Don’t Hurt Yourself” comes in and one of the most profound statements is made, “Why can’t you see me . . . everyone else can”. The power in that, in which the person you love cannot see your greatness can be both shattering and eye-opening. It can also lend itself to the idea that you don’t always see yourself and your greatness, when everyone else can. This song featuring Detroit’s own Jack White is hard. Hard in a way that you have been through some shit, and it has toughened you, thickened your skin, and awakened a strength and awareness you didn’t know you had. With the lyrics “Who the fuck do you think I is? You ain’t married to no average bitch, boy . . . Keep you money. I got my own. Keep a bigger smile being alone . . . Blindly in love. I fucks with you. Until I realize I’m just too much for you.” This is a call for all women. Many put stock in the happiness and strength of two, without acknowledging the great strength of one, and being able to walk away when need be. We also think that this song relates very much to the patriarchy and respectability politics that often comes out on social media from Black men to Black women, quoting Malcom X’s speech where he says "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.” We often will say that the hate some may exhibit is really a reflection of themselves, and with lyrical content, “You hurt me, you hurt yourself . . . You play me, you play yourself . . . You lie to me, you lie to yourself . . . You love me, you love yourself”, bringing about the notion that indeed loving the black woman is nothing short of the soul food you need to fuel your life.

We move to Apathy, as Beyoncé says, “So what are you going to say at my funeral now that you have killed me. Here lies the body of the love of my life whose heart I broke without a gun to my head. Here lies the mother of my children both living and dead . . .” Speaking to the idea that you make your own choices. There is no gun to your head when you choose to do wrong, and the prolific nature in which children are discussed, because this could be the result of a miscarriage, but also speaks to those mothers who have lost children due to violence or a myriad of other reasons. Women bare these scars of loss so deeply.

“Sorry” lends to the moment you realize that you do not have to or need to apologize for how you react to the hardships of life; and as many do realize at some point in life, what people do often has nothing to do with you, while singing “Sorry, I ain’t sorry”. This is where we see Beyoncé make an assertion that she is not above walking away, which is something many black women struggle with in life, because we are bound to such deep loyalty in many aspects of our life, “Middle fingers up. Put them hands high. Wave it in his face. Tell him boy, bye.” As we see Beyoncé in what we call the main house of the film, Serena Williams makes an appearance and Beyoncé sits in a chair reminiscent of her cover on Sports Illustrated. Two regal women, also accompanied by a group of women in the hallway of a house where they wouldn’t have belonged, taking it over and making it their own. There is also imagery of Beyoncé in two ensembles; one reminiscent of an African Queen with her hair worn as a crown, and the other with African print fabric and African Tribal Body Paint. The scene transitions with women walking powerfully and freely away from the camera showing their nude bodies.

We next move on to Emptiness and the poetry talks of the spirituality of sex and how it is far more than an act, but a connection between two people interacting in a way that God created. As “6 Inch” begins we hear booming bass and Beyoncé speaks to the moon, “Dear moon we blame you . . . for the night, for the dark, for the ghosts” and as we continue down a red lit hall Beyoncé is singing of a woman who walked in the club and, “She murdered everybody and I was her witness”, with The Weeknd setting the stage for a woman that is about her paper, and Beyoncé goes back to talking to the moon and our blame bestowed upon it, “every fear, every fear, every nightmare . . . anyone has ever had”. As we get into the meat of the song we find that this woman is smart enough that she is not working merely for material reasons; there is something driving her. And for many women it is in this “work” that she finds a freedom and control that she may not have in every day life. As the scene finishes Beyoncé is laying in a bed showing deep contemplation, and as she gets up and walks out of the house it begins to burn. This is the house that we have referred to as the main house, and it really gives us the thought of a home on a plantation. This history at this moment in the film is being burned, it is gone to no longer have an effect on the present.

With the transition to “Daddy Lessons” we come to Accountability and we go to the bayou and it is clear that it is something in her ancestry that is driving her. That has made her strong. The transitioning poetry states “Your mother is a woman and women like her cannot be contained”. The poetry and imagery connects man with women in the film. This is also one of the first times in the film we see a man, symbolizing perhaps the importance of the lessons you learn from your daddy; both good and bad. “Am I talking about your husband or your father” really connects how the men in our lives shape us, be they husband or father. With lyrics “Tough girl is what I had to be”, a girl is positioned to become a woman that can take on the world and not be afraid to shoot as “Oh, my daddy said shoot . . .” and be cautious of men like him as well.

We come to Reformation and we get to a football stadium and see Beyoncé laying on the field interspersed with images of wooden fencing, trees; and hear “Why do you deny yourself heaven . . . but you are the love of my life”. With “Love Drought” you realize that this love is strong and that together you yourself, are so much stronger than you realized. Beyoncé leads a group of women walking a straight line, giving us Daughters of the Dust in all its glory. And in one shot they grasp hands, raising their arms showing a vision of strength to the water. We instantly thought of so many of our ancestors who were lost to the waters they traveled through, getting to the Americas and other parts of the Middle Passage. This image speaks to them and to us; we will make it, we did make it, we are here. There is also a bridge with drums and Beyoncé again in African Tribal Body Paint, surrounded by women. This song is about the vulnerability of looking inward and asking the tough questions; realizing that moving forward may be the answer, because it’s the only answer. This is the shattering of the wall. This is laying your soul bare to who has hurt you, “You’re my lifeline. Are you tryna kill me”, questioning where you went wrong, “Or am I not thirsty. Enough”, and in all actuality what the two of you could be together, “You, you, you, you and me could move a mountain . . . you and me could calm a war down”.

As we move to Forgiveness, Beyoncé speaks “If we’re gonna heal let it be glorious. One thousand girls raise their arms . . . there is a curse that will be broken” because all healing begins from within, but particularly for the black community our healing will need to begin with our women. “Sandcastles comes in featuring a somber, yet strong piano and begins with, “we build sandcastles that washed away . . .”. So many times we make plans for our life and like sandcastles they wash away and plans change. The song talks off broken dishes, destroyed photos, but, “And although I promised I couldn’t stay . . . every promise don’t work out that way”. In the midst of anger many times you think things will be one way, but when you hit rock bottom; exposing the scars and the true nature of your actions, intentions can change. And like a washed away sandcastle, whatever has been broken can be rebuilt.

Resurrection comes and the voiceover speaks, “How do we lead them? Love. L-O-V-E Love. Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus. . . I just love the Lord. When your back is against the wall and the wall is against your back. Who you call? . . . You gotta call him. You gotta call on Jesus. You ain’t got no other hope.” We move into “Forward” which lends to the shakiness of deciding to move forward. It is no easy task to move past any hurtful and painful experience, but with James Blake we feel the heartache of this and the urgency. The decision is to move forward, and you can be “Now be open for a while. Forward.” and “It’s time to listen. It’s time to fight.” The imagery during this song shows Trayvon Martin's mother Sybrina Fulton, Eric Garner's mother Gwen Carr, and Michael Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden holding photos of their sons. There is a Mardi Gras Indian girl walking around a dinner table, with a voice saying magic and cutting to a scene of Beyoncé and a group of girls. It’s Black Girl Magic!

As we see a baby, looking out of the window we arrive at Hope. Beyoncé speaks, “. . . I see your daughters and their daughters . . .” realizing that there is hope and freedom if we stand together, and that we have each other and the next generation to lean on and grow with. We see a flurry of images including girls and women gathering at a dinner table, a storm brewing, and sun shining from above, Beyoncé begins singing “Freedom” in a capella with a rawness that comes deep from inside, and only from truly living. When the music for “Freedom” was initially played in the commercial for The Formation World Tour immediately after Beyoncé’s performance during Super Bowl 2016, we instantly caught the 70’s angst. The music alone is strong and powerful, giving way to the revolution; and fight that we have been going through. All people fight for “Freedom, Freedom. I can’t move. Freedom, cut me loose”, but the essence of that freedom can vary. The addition of Kendrick Lamar brings the fight for freedom full circle with our men fighting by our side. But, for black women who live under immense pressure of acceptability, respectability, and double-standards, the idea of freedom comes in many forms; the freedom to be natural, weaved up, sexual, strong, etc. But when selecting to pursue your freedom you have to make the declaration for yourself that “I’mma keep running ‘cause a winner don’t quit on themselves” in order to bring it to fruition. As the song ends we see Beyoncé and many of the women who have been seen in the film, including Quvenzhané Wallis, Zendaya, and Amandla Stenberg, staring into the camera; strong and at the ready.

Redemption comes and Beyoncé speaks a recipe for lemonade. As we see visions of black women at a dinner table, communing with each other gaining strength from each other. Beyoncé speaks of her grandmother Agnez Dereon, “you broke the curse with your own two hands”. We then see a video from Jay Z’s grandmother Hattie White’s 90th birthday party, where she speaks, "I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner-strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade”, ultimately bringing Lemonade full circle. Whatever comes to you, you can make it out of it, and you can turn it around. We as black women are resilient; our history time and time again proves that.

As we transition to “All Night” we see the dawn. Beyoncé sings in an African print gown and walks the same field where she began Lemonade. The sun comes through to show that there are better days and that with time, you will make it through; after pulling, ripping, and washing away all of the bull-shit; be it the bull-shit of life, love, and/or everything in between; you make it through. There are shots of couples, as well as home movies with Beyoncé and Jay Z and Tina Knowles-Lawson and Richard Lawson, further showing the generational aspect of the story. So much of Lemonade speaks to the vulnerability of life as a black woman and indeed being able to “See your scars . . .” and recognizing that “Love is the greatest weapon, to end the war caused by pain.”

As the credits roll, we hear the beginnings of “Formation” and see flashes of our sisters in a locker room, getting in formation. With all your strength; you raise up and bring your sisters, sister-friends, friends, girlfriends, mothers, aunts, cousins, and babies and you get in formation. And, here we are standing in the glory that is being a black woman; the army that never quits or cedes victory. There is so much history, admiration, and beauty on display from the channeling of Oshun, the clothing made with African fabrics, and natural hairstyles, to the African Tribal Body Paint and cameos of our national representatives of Black Girl Magic; model Winnie Harlow, Ibeyi's Lisa Kainde and Naomi Diaz, author and creole chef Leah Chase, ballerina Michaela DePrince, and singers Chloe and Halle Bailey. Lemonade encapsulates so much of the experience of black women, not just the experience here in America, but also the history that is often hidden from us and not celebrated. As the credits come to completion, the video for “Formation” begins, again calling us to "get in formation", and embrace, love, and be proud of all that we are; no matter who doesn’t like it.

Lemonade makes us so full and brings about many emotions and thoughts that are sure to shift and change just as life does; but for us at this particular moment it is the story of coming full circle, breaking a generational curse, and coming out on the other side with all those generations flowing through your veins to freedom, whatever that may be. And knowing you can walk through proudly and regally alone, because you are strong enough, or hand in hand with your love.