Mo’Nique‘s day out at the beach in Miami became a teaching moment on Dec. 5, after the comedian asked her followers if they “qualified” to be called the word queen.
In the Instagram video, Mo’Nique shared that she thought about this subject because of the everyday use of the word when individuals would address one another.
She said, “While I was walking [on] the beach, I was having a conversation with myself and the universe, and I was going over this word queen because we often refer to each as ‘hey queen, hey queen, hey queen.’ But here’s my question: Do we qualify to be referring to one another as queen.”
The 53-year-old also said that in order for her to find what the term queen meant, she had to look up the following women: civil rights activist, singer and songwriter Queen Makeba, Queen Nefertiti –who was the queen of Egypt and wife to King Akhenaton– and Queen Candace. Queen Candace was an Ethiopian queen who defended her kingdom against Roman Empire armies.
“So I had to look up some of our queens, our sisters; I had to look them up. Queen Makeba, Queen Nefertiti. I had to look up Queen Candace. I had to look up these sisters to understand how they got the title of queen. When I read up on these sisters, all of them pretty much had the same thread.”
Mo’Nique added those three women had several things in common, including their unconditional love for their people, fearlessness and ability to fight no matter the circumstances.
She said, “They were unwavering. They did not flinch. They had a love for their people, baby, that was just so unconditional. Their compassion, their fearlessness, their ability to not be afraid of a fight when one had to come to them.”
The star from “The Parkers” continued by asking her followers to ask themselves. “So when I looked up those queens, and there’s quite a few of them but research them for yourself and ask yourself ‘Do I qualify to consider myself a queen?’ So before we start referring to each other as queens just because, we got to make sure we qualify for the title.”
Mo’Nique began to wrap up her statement by sharing that she too is a work in progress because she feels she lacks some of the queens’ qualities, such as unconditional love for others, strong beliefs and proper queen representation.
“I’m still working on Mo’Nique. When I read up on them queens, I’m like, okay, ‘Do you have an undying love for your people? Are you unwavering in your beliefs? Will you stand where most people will fold and fall? Will you love up on your family? How will you represent queendom when someone is saying, queen?’ “
She concluded the video by asking her followers, “So I ask you, my beautiful sisters, do you qualify when someone says ‘Hey, queen’ or are you a queen in training?” As fans began to view the recording, many wrote how inspired they were by the star’s powerful message.
“Moe you definitely an inspiration I commend you black queen keep striving for greatness.”
“Monique, I swear I want to hug you through the screen sometimes! Keep bringing us this beautiful knowledge and encouragement. We love YOU for real!”
“I love you Mo! You are such an inspiration to me! Thank You.”
“Good gracious of life! This is one of the heaviest posts I have ever read/heard. I am in complete agreement with you.”
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