The Minneapolis City Council chambers were packed with Black women on Thursday, as the city recognized its “Black Girl Magic” resolution — declaring Thursday “Bey Day” in honor of Beyoncé. The declaration celebrated all Black girls and women in the city — and comes the same day the artist is in town for her “Renaissance” tour.
“Black women show up, time and time again, to do the hard work of speaking out against racism, oppression, gender and sexual violence, and all of the ways our systems perpetuate harm against us,” said City Council President Andrea Jenkins in a news release. “We embody strength, resilience and foresight. Black women have always been at the forefront of change work, while the rest of the world tells us we are wrong. While we hold the line, it takes years for the rest of the world to ‘get in formation,’ to quote Queen Bey, who inspires us to break through dominant culture and create our own lanes of power. We do the hard work which benefits all of our society. Black women and girls are trendsetters. Yes, we are human. Yes, we are #BlackGirlMagic. Thank you to all of the incredible Black women who showed up and shined today at City Hall and who do this important work every day without recognition.”
Beyoncé fans brought big energy to Huntington Bank Stadium ahead of the concert.
“She hasn’t touched the stage in a very long time since the pandemic so everyone is so excited to see this tour,” a fan told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
“Very excited. I’ve been waiting a long time,” another fan added.
Metro Transit added additional routes to make sure that fans can get home safely after the concert.
Riders can take the metro green line in stadium village or use bus routes that pick up and drop off nearby.
If you’re taking the light rail, trains will come about every half hour after the concert until 11:45 at night.
“We are very excited at Metro Transit that Beyoncé is coming to town and can’t wait to serve the concertgoers,” Metro Transit said.
Minneapolis Police said that it ramped up staffing and teamed up with U of M Police to help keep fans safe.
