Beyoncé, DEI, and the Racist Myth of "Meritless Achievement"
Some thoughts on how Beyoncé's Album of the Year Grammy win for Cowboy Carter exists during this era marked by attacks on diversity
On Sunday night, after three decades in the music industry, Beyoncé finally won album of the year for her critically acclaimed, genre-expanding album Cowboy Carter.
The album saw Beyonce return to her Texas roots in a reclamation of the Black foundation of country music. Throughout the 78 minute LP, the Grammy award winner explored the history of Black influence in the genre. She expanded upon the legacy of existing standards made famous from white artists like Dolly Parton while featuring the voices of legends like Parton and Willie Nelson. She shined a spotlight on classic and contemporary Black country artists like Linda Martell and Shaboozey. She highlighted the civil rights inspiration behind “Blackbird” by the Beatles while welcoming other Black country stars centerstage. (The song was a tribute to the group of nine Arkansas students who persisted in the wake of protest while integrating into a white school at the beginning of desegregation in 1957.) She brought in contemporary Black sounds like drill, 808s beats, and more, pushing the boundaries of country genre in the mainstream to include Black culture. And throughout it all, she an unmatched performance as a recording artist and then later, as a live performer during her NFL Christmas Gameday halftime show with a full tour to come.
“I just feel very full, and I feel very honored. It’s been many, many years…” Beyoncé remarked during her acceptance speech, acknowledging the years of hard work and snubs. The line garnered thunderous applause from a room of musicians, many of whom cite Beyonce as an inspiration.
The album itself was more than deserving of the award, but when the win is viewed in the context of Beyonce’s career, it marks a sense of vindication for the years of snubs despite her unmatched artistry and performance prowess. In 2023, Beyonce’s Renaissance lost to Harry’s House by Harry Styles. In 2017, her visual album Lemonade lost to Adele’s 25. In 2015, her industry changing self-titled album Beyoncé lost to Morning Phase by Beck. In 2010, I am.. Sasha Fierce lost to Fearless by Taylor Swift.
The task of the Grammy’s voting body is to award excellence, creativity, and merit in the music industry and yet the window of what is considered of merit is small and culturally biased. Though art is subjective, when looked at as a whole, the Album of the Year snubs combined with other indignities such as Homecoming losing all six of its Emmy nominations—including “Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)” to Carpool Karaoke—a different picture emerges. A picture that is in-line with a trend embedded in American history: the merit and achievement of Black people often go overlooked and uncelebrated at large.
(The fact that she won AotY with Cowboy Carter instead of Renaissance, which is just as complex, researched, joyous and innovative except with its roots predominantly in the Black and queer sonic palette is an example of this undervaluing of Black achievement, but that is for another essay.)
The work of DEI is to open doors to people who are historically overlooked and either directly or passively shut out from success and advancement. David Glasgow, the executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at NYU School of Law, explains the goal of these initiatives to CBS News. “DEI enhances merit by saying, 'How do we find the best people for the job or make sure we are promoting the best people?’ And that means thinking about barriers and biases that might be getting in the way of considering the full talent pool." The results of these efforts are more than just inclusivity, they are also beneficial to institutions and work places, yielding more innovation, competitive advantages, and talent retention.
It is disheartening to look at the laws President Donald Trump’s executive orders dissolve. Revoked are orders such as 1965’s Executive Order 11246 which established requirements for non-discriminatory practices in hiring and employment on the part of U.S. government contractors, 1994’s Executive Order 12898 which created federal actions to address environmental justice in minority populations and low-income populations, and many more laws aimed at correcting systemic injustice. In Trump’s January 21st executive order, he frames these equity-based actions as “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences” that violate civil rights.
Instead, the opening of doors for non-white, non-male, and/or non-heterosexual people is lampooned as a loss for those who are qualified, with the assumption being that those in underrepresented groups are unqualified, an ideology that he has articulated with growing fervor.
I’m not going to dive into Donald Trump's comments blaming the fatal Reagan airport plane crash, falsely claiming that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives created lowers standards at the FAA. A racist man yet again saying something racist shouldn’t be its own news cycle. However, the sentiment within them—that equity equals meritless achievement—is a common one held within America as viewed for the growing disapproval of DEI initiatives. It was the basis for efforts such as the lawsuit that spurned the Supreme courts decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. It is the sentiment behind the dismantling of DEI programs in corporations such as Target, Meta, and more. And it’s the view of many Americans on Black accomplishments as seemingly minute as musical awards, an outrage captured and amplified by the Fox Corporation-owned vertical, OutKick.
I must admit that I’m struggling with hope in this current era. As we see from President Donald Trump’s executive actions, policy can easily change. However, hearts and minds are harder to shift, and I don’t know what to make of the knowledge of the belief that DEI is a violation to civil rights. It leaves me speechless, frustrated, and struggling to find a solution. Perhaps the way forward is a matter of being loud about the benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion in both policy as well as societal principals. Or perhaps it is a matter of being loud about our own accomplishments. If something as creative, researched, inspired, and exceptionally executed as Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” can be labeled as undeserving, then who cares about perception. Clearly, there are flaws in the methodology. Our job is to keep striving, to keep creating, and to stay excellent. And celebrate the wins as they come.
Just like Bey says in her song “Ya Ya,” “These petty one’s can’t fuck with me.”
P.S. If you made it this far, celebrate Black history month by supporting a Black-owned business with your patronage. Just give it a google for businesses in your area or places to shop online, and I promise you’ll find some gems.