Tina Knowles-Lawson thought white people would be “confused” by Beyoncé’s Coachella performance

But Beyoncé said “I have a responsibility to do what’s best for the world.”

April 16, 2018

Tina Knowles-Lawson shared a sweet message about her daughter Beyoncé's Coachella appearance. The already iconic performance drew heavily on black cultural themes, centering around HBCU Homecoming traditions. Under a photo of a quote from Florida-based attorney Alisia Adamson, the mother of two explained her initial concern regarding the audience at Coachella.

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"I told Beyoncé that I was afraid that the predominately white audience at Coachella would be confused by all of the black culture and Black college culture because it was something that they might not get," Knowles-Lawson wrote in her caption. "Her brave response to me made me feel a-bit selfish and ashamed. She said 'At this point in my life and my career I have a responsibility to do what's best for the world and not what is most popular.'"

The performance, which was streamed live on YouTube and played a second time the following day, has already been hailed as historic, with fans gushing over the hour-long concert across social media.

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"She said that her hope is that after the show young people would research this culture and see how cool it is, and young people black and white would listen to LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING and see how amazing the words are for us all and bridge the gap," Knowles-Lawson's caption continued. "I stand corrected ❤️"

Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella.

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Tina Knowles-Lawson thought white people would be “confused” by Beyoncé’s Coachella performance