’Activist’ Beyonce draws both praise and outrage

LOS ANGELES: A day after the Super Bowl, people are still parsing over each frame from Beyonce’s halftime performance, trying to glean the messages, both subtle and overt, that made for a stunning display of unapologetic blackness and political activism during one of the most-watched events of the year.
The halftime show — seen by an estimated 112 million people — is drawing praise from her fans and consternation from critics.
While Beyonce hasn’t commented on the specifics of the show, and her rep declined comment, the imagery speaks for itself. Beyonce’s dancers donned berets, sported Afros and wore all black, similar to the style of the Black Panther party, founded 50 years ago by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in the Bay area — the location of this year’s Super Bowl. At one point during their routine, the dancers formed an “X” on the field, which some people are taking as a tribute to slain black activist Malcolm X.
Melina Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter activist and leader in California, said it’s wonderful that artists like Beyonce “are willing to raise social consciousness and use their artistry to advance social justice.”
But not everyone appreciated Beyoncé’s performance. Republican Congressman Peter King of New York immediately condemned Beyoncé for her performance, saying on Facebook “her pro-Black Panther and anti-cop video ‘Formation’ and her Super Bowl appearance is just one more example of how acceptable it has become to be anti-police.”
Some people have complained that Beyonce injected politics into a sports event. On Monday’s Fox & Friends, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani slammed her tributes to black activism during the halftime show when performers are “talking to Middle America.”
“I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive,” said Giuliani, who said he would have preferred “decent wholesome entertainment.”