Beyoncé is being criticized for her Super Bowl halftime performance for what appeared to be a tribute to the Black Panther Party.
Beyoncé took the field, flanked by dancers sporting Afros while dressed in black leather and black berets, which some say are similar to the black berets worn by members of the ‘60s black nationalist organization, to perform a part of Beyoncé’s new single “Formation.”
Beyoncé released “Formation” on Saturday, a new black power anthem that makes reference to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the mass protests across the U.S. against the police killings of unarmed black men.
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During the halftime show, as Beyoncé twerked her way through “Formation,” her backup dancers were seen raising their fists in the air, a gesture symbolic of the Panthers’ movement. The group also danced their way into a “X” formation, which some say was political statement about Malcolm X.
However, many thought Beyoncé, herself, was dressed to pay tribute to the late Michael Jackson.
Following the performance, some of Beyoncé’s dancers were photographed holding a sign that read: “Justice 4 Mario Woods” with their clenched fists raised in the air.
However, Instagram video of the dancers appears to show that the girls were asked by someone on the field at Levi’s Stadium if they could hold the sign.
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