Move on over, Beyoncé. Black America has officially, unofficially, adopted your youngest babygirl, Rumi Carter, as their beloved niece. Fans cry and cheer alongside Rumi every night of the Cowboy Carter tour, but the reason why Rumi– a complete stranger to 99.9% of the population– is beloved so much goes deeper than one might think.
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While photos and glimpses of Rumi have circulated online for years, it was on the tour’s opening night in Los Angeles on April 28 that we truly got our first consistent look at her vibrant personality on a grand stage. The 8-year-old joined her older sister, Blue Ivy, during their mom’s performance of “Protector.” And she’s been a viral scene-stealer ever since. From crying on stage in London, to her animated waving and interactions with the crowd, to her appropriate but fierce fashions, Rumi became Black America’s “It Girl” and “niece” overnight.
Maybe the deep-seeded love comes from seeing a daughter, who many say looks just like Beyoncé as a baby, that reminds them of their days of old, or something more complex. Rumi isn’t the only person Black folks call their family when they aren’t related by blood, and that action has a term: fictive kinship, and its rooted in slavery. Slaves were under the constant threat of family separation through sale; husbands were sold from wives, children from parents, and siblings from each other. Fictive kin relationships were essential for building community and fostering resilience, providing a sense of belonging, collective responsibility, and a shared identity in a dehumanizing system. One didn’t need to be related by blood to step into roles of caregiving, support, and love, without needing to be asked.
The kinship didn’t stop at slavery. Even in post-emancipation societies, the economic hardships, discrimination, and instability made fictive kin vital. Those relationships provided safety nets, resources, and fostered community where it was once stolen from them.
When it comes to Rumi being adopted as Black America’s “niece,” it’s the community’s way of extending their family circle beyond biological ties and reflecting a relentless sense of pride in her as if she were kin. Just as aunts and uncles dote their nieces and nephews, “niece” conveys a shared sense of affection, care, and yes, even protection for the younger generation who needs to be nurtured and celebrated. And as the child of two music icons like Beyoncé and Jay-Z, their children is the direct representation of Black excellence and joy. And folks can’t help but to celebrate the lineage, whether we know you personally or not.
Even in today’s Black families, many consider their biological nieces and nephews as their own. Whether you are a biological parent or not, nieces and nephews are the closet thing one could get to your own child, and it shows in how families show up for one another. You see your younger self and your siblings reflected in your nieces and nephews, and that deep-seated understanding that it takes a village to raise a child is what truly cements the connection.
When it comes to Rumi, concertgoers hold up signs– not just for her mother– but for her. They tweet about the nostalgia of her braids, (how they can relate to how their hair was worn when they were that age), and how much they love seeing the different versions of a young, Black princess growing, adapting, and learning in real time. From her energetic debut to her subsequent “over-it” moments, to one instance of her trying to reach for Beyoncé’s microphone before her grandmother, Tina Knowles, gently intervened, folks are loving Rumi’s bossiness.
Rumi would often, and spontaneously, throw up the Roc Nation sign, often accompanied with a mischievous smile. The internet can’t help but notice how Rumi’s embracing the newfound spotlight; occasionally adding in her own spice and sassiness to choreography or blowing a kiss to her adorning fans. Even the onstage dynamics between the sisters, fans truly enjoy witnessing Rumi’s independent spirit and Blue Ivy’s “manager” big sister role.
Rumi, and Cowboy Carter tour, continues on in Atlanta Thursday (July 10), the first of four nights, concluding on Monday.
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