Tina Knowles, mother of music icon Beyoncé, is opening up about a traumatic chapter in her family's history in her newly released memoir "Matriarch"—a story that has shaped their experience with fear and vigilance for decades.
Knowles, 71, recalls a disturbing 1967 incident involving her brother, Skip, who was mistakenly dropped off at the wrong house by a cab driver while trying to return home after a date.
Although the home was located close to his own, the woman who lived there did not recognize him and contacted the police to report an unfamiliar man at her door.
By the time she realized the error and notified Tina's mother, police had already arrived on the scene.
Tina remembers the helplessness her family felt as they watched officers arrest Skip and take him into custody. Her mother, overwhelmed with fear, pleaded with the authorities not to harm her son.
The following day, when the family went to collect Skip from the police station, they found him bloodied and bruised from a beating he had received while in custody. Tina writes that her family feared he might have been killed.
According to her, the incident left deep emotional scars, particularly on her parents. As a result, her parents had to suffer a persistent sense of fear and anxiety afterward. Knowles reveals that the experience marked the beginning of years of police harassment that never left her family ever at ease.
Through her memoir, Knowles emphasizes the lasting impact of racial profiling and police violence, offering a deeply personal account of the generational trauma.
When Tina first announced the book in October 2024, Beyoncé shared her excitement and support in a heartfelt Instagram post.
"You put your heart into this book. I'm happy for you to share some of the stories that shaped you into who you are," Beyoncé added. "To know you is to love you. But please don't spill too much Mama Tea."
The memoir also marks a return to publishing for Knowles, who previously authored Destiny's Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny's Child in 2002.
That book delved into how fashion contributed to the rise of Destiny's Child and offered lifestyle tips inspired by the group's success.
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