Race relations in the United States are at the forefront in 2016. Black Lives Matter began with the death of Trayvon Martin and has been making waves with the subsequent deaths of Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, and sadly many more. These are all African-Americans whose alleged murders were never charged or acquitted. The organization has black and white allies and opponents alike. Long-standing issues, such as the high incarceration rate of black citizens, as well as recent events, such as the Oscars boycott due to a lack of diversity in nominations, has only exacerbated the divide.
Enter Beyoncé (aka Queen Bey, Queen B, Bee, Sasha Fierce), who basically rules the world. In the face of all this controversy, Beyoncé has declined to state her opinion. While other celebrities, such as Amandla Stenberg, have been adamant on frequently condemning police brutality, intersectionality racial profiling, and cultural appropriation, it struck nerves Beyoncé was not one of them. Beyoncé was criticized for having a large fan base in the black community, but choosing to remain silent when those who support her were being silenced or dismissed. People anticipated, when she became the third black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue for the magazine’s September issue, that her accompanying interview would shed light on the current race relations in the US. The backlash only increased when she neglected to do so.
Queen Bey came after these critics this last week: first with the surprise release of her ‘Formation’ music video and then with her Super Bowl performance (and Americans take their football very seriously, so don’t mess with them). These outward, politically charged references have resulted in widespread acclaim from some and disdain from others. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion on the matter.
The ‘Formation’ video is multi-faceted and includes references that most likely eluded many. Firstly, it was released on what would have been Trayvon Martin’s 21st birthday. It features a sinking New Orleans police car and houses under water in reference to Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters since the turn of the century that saw the poorest and most down-trodden residents displaced (read: 73% of those displaced were black; less than half of those could enter their home after a year compared to 70% of the cities white residents). The event even led Kanye to proclaim that “Bush does not care about black people.” (I guess even eleven years ago Kanye could not control his word vomit, but alas, I digress…)
Mike Meyers didn’t know that was in the script
Beyoncé also made sure to remind those who have critiqued her for failing to ‘tame’ her daughter’s natural hair and husband’s physical appearance that she loves them the way they are. There is no confusing the significance of the scene with a little boy dancing in front of a police squad, clad in riot gear, who then raises his arms with the police squad following in pursuit (read: peace between the police force and the black community). To ensure its meaning would not go over anyone’s head, Bey included the phrase “Stop shooting us” graffitied across a wall. Subtleties of black culture also appear in the video such as scenes of a NOLA parade, in a beauty supply store, and typical southern church service as well as the references to collard greens and cornbread.
As if this were not enough for people to handle, Beyoncé then performed a section of the song at the 50th Super Bowl halftime show alongside Bruno Mars and Chris Martin. The singer appeared on the field in an outfit sentimental of the outfit Michael Jackson wore when he performed ‘We Are The World’ (am I the only one who sees the irony?) in 1993. Her backup dancers, who were all black and wearing afros, wore outfits reminiscent of the Black Panthers with their black berets and black power salutes. The Black Panthers (BP) was a black nationalist and socialist organization active from 1966- 1982. They were anti-racism and anti-capitalism and implemented a variety of community social programs. Their history is controversial, to the say the least; some believe they played a key role in supporting and unifying the black community while others saw them as being more criminal than political. This led many to proclaim post-halftime show, that the performance was racist (I told you Americans don’t like you to mess with their football…) How could Beyoncé, a Southern black artist, speak out against events that have plagued African-Americans and be unapologetically black twice in one weekend?
Former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, reprimanded Beyoncé for her lack of “decent, wholesome entertainment” and deemed the performance “ridiculous.” Police officers risk their lives to protect us, he argued, and all communities, including the African American community, should “build up respect for police officers.”
Meanwhile, Jim Karygiannis, a Toronto city councillor, suggested that Beyoncé’s ties to the BP be investigated and a decision made on whether she is eligible to enter the country to perform on May 25.
Since the Super Bowl, people have backed their claims the performance was racist by likening the BP to the Ku Klux Klan; a comparison that has received stark backlash. As one viral Facebook post blatantly put it, “Until someone can show me a single white child brutally tortured and murdered by the Black Panthers (Emmett Till), a single white woman gang-raped by Black Panthers (Harriet Smirl)… a single white man castrated by the Black Panthers (Judge Aaron), a single white preacher whose face was blown off by Black Panthers for registering white people to vote (George Lee)… I’d better not hear any comparison made between the Black Panther party and the Ku Klux Klan.” I’m just going to leave that here.
However, it is only fair to note that while the BP played a large role in bringing together and raising awareness within the black community, they had some internal issues of their own. Claims have been made that some members were sexist and that the group was colourist, meaning that they ‘preferred’ light-skinned women over those of darker complexions which is how women such as Angela Davis and Kathleen Cleaver became the public faces of the group.
Despite her staunch supporters and those singing praise for her finally breaking her silent streak, and in a loud way, Beyoncé is facing rampant backlash. This includes a “boycott Beyoncé”sign-up page and some planned “anti-Beyoncé” protests. Has a popular and beloved artist with a large black and white fan following positively affected cultural tension or only made the problem worse? It seems her strongest supporters are black (duh) while the most prominent opposition comes from white Americans (and Canadians, too, I guess).
Racial tensions and relations have long been the elephant in the room. In addition to the ongoing shooting of black men, the largely black inner-city population, high black prison population, and disproportional amount of blacks being stopped and frisked on New York City streets (I could go on forever) has been the long-avoided topic of discussion. It is difficult to have constructive conversations on such a relevant but heated topic; one is either painted as being angry over “the inevitable” reality or as being unsympathetic and privileged. So really, can anyone win? Maybe Beyoncé’s outward displays of black culture have opened a door for people to begin to constructively tackle the issue, rather than pretending it does not exist. Or maybe, she just made it more difficult as everyone retreats into their respective “corner” and continues to bask in the bliss of ignorance.
To find out why Beyonce may have felt now was the time to speak up, check out the stats done that state 102 unarmed African Americans were killed in 2015 alone: http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed/
Nevertheless, if you are in need of some giggles post-intense decision-making on which side of the Beyoncé divide you belong on, Saturday Night Live decided to have in on the joke, and it was spectacular.
All opinions presented are those of the writer.
Images obtained from:
http://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/2016/02/10/947/n/1922398/dc02e82…