Written by: @kristenshylin_
Designer, businesswoman, and former hairdresser Tina Knowles Lawson joined the “Hustling With Vivica A. Fox” podcast where she spoke about activism critics.
On the podcast, Mama Tina, also known as the mother of Beyoncé and Solange, addressed people who questioned Beyoncé’s contribution to the community.
Lawson mentioned that she noticed a ton of criticism surrounding Beyonce’s recent graduation speech, adding that everyone had a lot to say about the singer’s appearance and speech.
“She’s not that out front telling you everything she’s doing, but the girl is constantly working for our people,” Lawson said. “She is constantly giving back with her money, her time, and her energy.”
Lawson, who is also a social and racial justice advocate, advised young people to stop being critical of how others protest. ”Everybody is not the same, ” she continued.
“Everything everybody did in this protest of Mr. Floyd’s death, whether you posted, whether you donated, whether you signed petitions, whether you marched and you were on the front lines … it all worked in tandem, and it worked together to get the results that we got,” Lawson stated.
Mrs. Lawson referred to activism critics as “activist police.”
“We have to stop being so critical of other people and what they do and try to dictate because nobody made you the activist police,” she said.
The philanthropist said there is no monopoly on activism; that is done in many many ways.
According to The Undefeated, Lawson received Sundial Brand’s Community Commerce Impact Award for her philanthropic work.
The mother of two successful women is also well respected for her contributions to the Black and brown communities. The Los Angeles Times reported that the activist recently penned a letter to Congress calling for the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solution Act’s approval.
The HEROES Act would provide $3 trillion funding for “healthcare, economic security, justice system reform, housing, and voting access” in communities negatively impacted by the pandemic.
