Beyoncés "Homecoming": A Celebration of Black Pride

Beyoncé’s “Homecoming” is so much more than just a concert documentary. The nearly two-and-a-half-hour masterpiece not only celebrates Queen Bey as a pop majesty but also her political evolution. During her performance, Beyoncé revels in black pride and is a shining example of a strong woman.

The Netflix documentary features the rehearsal and Beyoncé’s memorable performance at the 2018 Coachella music festival, which was named “Beychella” for good reason. With a 26-song set, Beyoncé took the stage as the first black woman to headline the festival since its debut in 1999.

She wrote history with this era-defining performance and used it to educate her audience on black culture, by infusing the documentary with voices from African-American history, like WEB DuBois, Nina Simone, Toni Morrison, and Reginald Lewis. Adding to that, her set highlights the importance of preserving historically black colleges and universities, also known as HBCUs. Even the costumes Beyoncé and her battalion wear during the live performance function as a symbol: She borrows the bright yellow and pink cropped sorority sweatshirts, denim cutoffs, and tinsel Louboutin silver boots from HBCU Greek life. The pyramid-shaped bleachers and the marching band evoke memories of homecoming football games. Because Beyoncé did not attend university herself and never earned a degree, she made Coachella the homecoming she never had.

Queen Bey is still able to please her fans the way she did 20 years ago. While she is joined on stage by more than 200 dancers, singers, and musicians, it is clear at all times that she is the center of attention. Seemingly without any effort, she flows from song to song, and the costumes, the dances, and the orchestral arrangement fit together perfectly. Her songs are fueled by anger and self-love, demanding change. The whole crowd bows down to that strong, proud, black queen.

In “Homecoming”, Beyoncé served as the writer, director, and executive producer. Once again, she shows us that this whole show is about her, and she has the control. That way she could make sure that she would keep her privacy. There is not so much a look-behind-the-curtain like in other concert documentaries, but rather a quick peek. Even in rare moments of vulnerability, such as the revelation about her difficult pregnancy with twins, Beyoncé speaks only in voiceover and stays inaccessible to us. The intimate moments are shallow and appear between long, uninterrupted segments from the show. Queen Bey makes sure we only see as much of her as she is willing to show: a perfectionist who juggles the preparation for this one-of-a-kind spectacle and her three kids at the same time. Some probably wanted to see more than that.

But that is just how Beyoncé has always been. She is this strong leader, fighting for the equality of women and black people by doing what she does best: putting up rousing performances. She succeeded to do so on the Coachella stage, which is why “Homecoming” is more than just a concert documentary: It is a triumphant celebration of what we already achieved, leaving us hopeful of what there is to come.