Tina Knowles Honored at Angel Ball, Recalls Serenade

Tina Knowles, who was honored with a philanthropy award at the 27th Annual Angel Ball in New York City, recalled daughters Beyoncé and Solange serenading her with the gospel song “Walk With Me” and lightening the mood with a viral “demure” TikTok clip just before she underwent surgery for a stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis, helping her go into the operation laughing and feeling blessed. Knowles has detailed the diagnosis and recovery in interviews and her April memoir Matriarch, urging women not to skip mammograms and describing her daughters as her support team; she attended the Angel Ball with granddaughter Blue Ivy and used the occasion to spotlight cancer research fundraising. As Breast Cancer Awareness Month concludes, the film Hello Beautiful — inspired by model-turned-survivor Christine Handy — is screening at the Berman Center and seeks to honestly depict the medical and emotional realities of diagnosis, treatment and family impact. Separately, Jamaican-Canadian entrepreneur Kimesha Walters was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch for 2025 after winning the Mantella Corporation Entrepreneur BIPOC Grant in 2024, highlighting resilience and community leadership. Together these items emphasize the importance of early detection, the power of family and storytelling in healing, and recognition of Black women’s resilience across philanthropy, arts and business.