Recently, there was a column in the Indiana Daily Student regarding Beyoncé‘s Super Bowl halftime performance. The article made the bold claim that Beyoncé’s performance was a violent homage to the Black Panther Party rather than a symbol of the oppression of the black community.
I felt I needed to respond to this article because I wanted to present the facts in an unbiased fashion. I am not a huge Beyoncé fan, although I was happy she came out with a song like “Formation” because she has such a powerful voice.
Since I understand how newspapers work, I also understand the views of the author of this article does not reflect the views of the IDS nor of IU.
However, being a black student on IU’s campus, I found myself instantly offended by this article. It proved to me there is a lack of awareness about the story of black people.
The author referred to the performance as an inappropriate example for the black community. Yet the portrayal of black people in the media or the treatment of black people by law enforcement is not deemed an inappropriate example to the black community.
All this performance entailed was an ode to blackness. Beyoncé said she was proud of her baby’s afro and her man’s nose. These features are associated with black bodies and also ridiculed and seen as primitive or not beautiful.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues to gain momentum with his rants about “making America great again.” All that really means is making America white again.
The fact that the author did not enjoy the performance was not what was offensive. He is entitled to his opinion. It was the fact that his entire article falsely represented the Black Panther Party. His whole argument was that the Black Panthers were a hate group who used violence toward white people. The idea behind the Black Panthers was to aid the needs of the black community.
The Black Panthers focused on creating programs that help feed the community and speak up for all people. They were formed as a result of police brutality and violence against black bodies.
Although this organization has long since been dismantled, organization such as the Klu Klux Klan, a hate group notorious for violence against not only black people but any race other than white, is still active today.
White children were not disfigured by the hands of the Black Panthers. White churches were not bombed by the hands of the Black Panthers. White bodies were not beaten, burnt and lynched by the hands of the Black panthers. However these were habitual occurrences towards the black community by entities such as the KKK and police forces.
I am tired of society constantly telling me the story of my people. Not only is it never the whole uncut version of the truth, it is always some altered version that tells me that I am not entitled to my feelings.
grrkelly@indiana.edu
@gracedwithtruth
