Solange Knowles has already proven in audio form that she is a champion for communities of color with her critically-acclaimed A Seat At The Table album. The younger sister of Beyonce took to Twitter and blasted the Grammy Awards committee for its lack of diversity in a pair of now-deleted tweets.
Solange posted Monday afternoon (Feb. 13) a day after the Grammy Awards concluded with her sister winning just one trophy although she led the field in nominations with nine. Solange’s message was simply to note that the Album Of The Year award has only been given to two Black entertainers in the past two decades, a point even Adele, who won for 25, hammered home herself during the acceptance speech.
“[T]here have been only two black winners in the last 20 years for album of the year,” tweeted Solange. “[T]here have been over 200 black artist who have performed.”
Solange continued, “[C]reate your own committees, build your own institutions, give your friends awards, and be the gold you wanna hold my g’s.”
Historically speaking, Beyonce and her husband Jay Z are near the top of the Grammy Award winners list with 22 and 21 respectively. Kanye West also has 21 wins. Beyonce’s Best Video win for “Formation” ties her with Stevie Wonder for wins and makes her the second-most awarded woman in Grammy history. However, the Album Of The Year trophy has proved elusive for top Black stars as proven by Solange’s words.
Props to @Negroorifc for capturing the tweets.
—
Photo: Instagram
