SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lizzo's stop at the Golden 1 Center was an unforgettable night for a recent Sacramento State graduate and her professor.
Graduate Katrina LaGrande wrote her thesis on Lizzo and women’s empowerment when it comes to their bodies. So, you can imagine her surprise when Lizzo read parts of the thesis out loud as the crowd cheered and clapped during an audience engagement segment in Sunday night's show.
”I feel incredibly blessed,” said LaGrande. “I think it's really powerful that even for this moment we get to spread the message, which is the argumentative force of women's bodies in protest, especially [in] online context. And then Lizzo, she's just such a transformative, beautiful person. And so I'm... I'm really pleased that this message gets a platform.”
Then, the crowd was able to find Andrea Terry, assistant professor at Sacramento State, who brought the thesis to the show. That’s when Terry had a heart-to-heart with Lizzo, who had this to say:
“Professor Andrea, thank you for cultivating young minds and allowing people to express themselves, especially at a time when our voices are being silenced on a daily basis, thank you, Professor Andrea. Thank you for creating a safe space for young people to learn, and to be radical in their education, thank you, Professor Andrea," said Lizzo in a video captured by a fan at the concert.
Now, how did the thesis get to Lizzo? Terry brought it and gave it to three teenagers who had floor seats. The teens passed the thesis off to Lizzo, who read and signed it on stage.
“It felt wild because I kept trying to tell people like, it's not my work, it's my student's work,” said Terry. “But to be able to be part of that, I just felt so uplifted. And Lizzo was so kind and complimentary and talked about how important education is at this moment in time, and it just felt really good.”
"I just want to thank everybody out there, like the activists both online and on the street," said LaGrande. "The work that they're doing is just so important. It's everything that this world needs, like Lizzo is everything that this world needs. It's transformative. I truly believe that things can change not only on the micro but the macro level as well if important voices keep getting centered, especially those voices of people who have been in the past. [For example the] traditionally marginalized: people of color and women. Thank you to everyone doing the good work."
