Girls Run This Mother (Yeah)

Beyonce. She’s fierce, determined, unstoppable, and a force to be reckoned with. A true champion of women everywhere; she stands up for what’s right and won’t take anything from anyone. While I cannot find any definitive evidence to prove it, there are some of us that believe she draws inspiration from the Girl Gangs of the past. That’s right. Abigail Adams, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony and many others have arguably served as inspiration to Queen Bey’s message of female empowerment.

Harriet Tubman: Upgrade U

The original Beyonce, Harriet Tubman was the fiercest of the fierce. The Queen boss of the Underground Railroad, Harriet worked tirelessly to free hundreds and hundreds of enslaved people in the 1800s, guiding them to free states and later to Canada to ensure their freedom stayed intact. A runaway herself, she traveled between the north and south rescuing slaves with a bounty on her head so great it would rival Bey’s fortune of today. During the Civil War she worked for the North as a scout, spy, cook and nurse. Old tales of Harriet say she always carried a gun on her and would turn it on anyone, even someone she was trying to rescue if they tried to turn back or give up. I can almost hear Harriet saying the lyrics to Beyonce’s Upgrade U:

“I can do for you what Martin did for the people

Ran by the men but the women keep the tempo

It's very seldom that you're blessed to find your equal

Still play my part and let you take the lead role

Believe me

I'll follow this could be easy

I'll be the help whenever you need me

I see you hustle wit my hustle I

Can keep you

Focused on your focus I can feed you”

Abigail Adams: Schoolin’ Life

Talk about influential. Much of what we know about life and politics during the founding of our country comes from letters between John Adams and his wife Abigail Adams. Our second president (and member of the Patriotic Posse) deferred to Abigail for her leadership and guidance through some of the most tumultuous times that the Patriotic Posse went through. Having had no formal education, Abigail was well-read and well-spoken and boss in her own right. While John was all over the world spreading American diplomacy, Abigail was holding it down on the Homefront – running the farm, raising the kids and in her spare time, advising her husband on major political and diplomatic decisions that shaped our nation at its founding. It seems pretty obvious that Beyonce released Schoolin’ Life with Abigail in mind:

“I'm not a teacher, babe

But I can teach you something

Not a preacher

But we can pray if you wanna

Ain't a doctor

But I can make you feel better

But I'm great at writing physical love letters…

…Who needs a degree when you're schoolin' life?”