Music superstar Beyonce joined Kamala Harris onstage at a campaign rally in Houston, Texas, telling the crowds of adoring fans she was there not as a celebrity, but “as a mother.”
The “Freedom” singer was joined by her former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland as she entered the Shell Energy Stadium on Friday, to screams and cheers from supporters.
Harris’s rally focused on women’s reproductive rights and healthcare, with speakers including individuals with experiences of abortion, and medical professionals. Texas has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.
“H-town. We are so happy to be standing here on this stage as proud country Texas women, supporting and celebrating the one and only vice-president Kamala Harris – a woman who’s been pushing for what this country really needs right now, unity,” Beyonce said.
“It’s impossible not to feel the energy in this room, the positivity, the community, the humanity. We are at the precipice of an incredible shift, the brink of history.”
She continued: “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother, a mother who cares deeply about the world my children, and all of our children, are living in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies.”
“My children and all of our children live in a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided. Our past, our present, our future, merge to meet us here. Imagine our daughters growing up, seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations.”
Beyonce’s appearance in Houston comes around seven months after Harris cheered on the singer’s new album, Cowboy Carter, saying she had "redefined a genre and reclaimed country music’s Black roots.”
“Freedom,” from Beyonce’s 2016 hit album Lemonade, has become the anthem of the Harris campaign since its inception.
At the rally, Beyonce told those gathered that it was “time for America to sing a new song.”
“Your voice has power and magnitude,” she said. “Your vote is one of the most valuable tools, and we need you. Your freedom is your God-given right, your human right. We all have a role to play to make this a reality. We’re all part of something much bigger.
“It’s time to sing a new song, a song that began 248 years ago. The old notes of downfall, discord, despair, no longer resonate. Our generations of loved ones before us are whispering a prophecy, a quest, a calling, an anthem.
“Our moment is right now. It is time for America to sing a new song. Our voices sing a chorus of unity. They sing a song of dignity and opportunity. Are you all ready to add your voice to the new American song? Because I am. So let’s do this.”
Rowland, who was a member of Destiny’s Child with Beyonce and Michelle Williams, also welcomed those at the rally to a “remarkable... joyous day” and a time to “grab back the pen from those who are trying to write an American story of division and hatred.”
“Houston, you’ve already had a hand in creating destiny. So do what you do and do this thing again,” she said.
