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PEOPLE & ARTS A31
Beyonce’s Super Bowl show bringing both praise and criticism
JESSE J. HOLLAND
Associated Press
A day after the Super
Bowl, people are still pars-
ing over each frame from
Beyonce’s halftime perfor-
mance, trying to glean the
messages, both subtle and
overt, that made for a stun-
ning display of unapolo-
getic blackness and politi-
cal 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 conster-
nation from critics.
While Beyonce hasn’t com-
mented on the specifics
of the show, the imagery
speaks for itself. Beyonce’s
dancers donned berets,
sported Afros and wore all
black, similar to the style
of the Black Panther par-
ty, founded in 50 years 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.
In addition, Beyoncé and
her dancers raised a fist to
the sky, reminiscent of the
black power salutes of the
1960-70s, made popular
internationally by Tommie
Smith and John Carlos,
who raised their fists to the
sky after winning gold and
bronze at the 1968 Summer
Olympics.
Several people applauded
her embracing the history
of black activism and of
her own identity. Her new
song “Formation,” which
she sang during her perfor-
mance, includes the lyrics
“I like my baby hair, with
baby hair and Afros. I like
my negro nose with Jack-
son Five nostrils.”
“I think that you’re hard-
pressed to find that de-
monstrative an example
of performative blackness
on stage, on such a high
profile stage,” said Damon
Young, editor in chief of the
websitewww.verysmart-
brothas.com , on Mon-
day. “Between the danc-
ers coming out dressed as
Black Panthers to the lyrics
to the song, again ... I can’t Giuliani slammed her trib-
Tuesday 9 February 2016

recall another time you In this Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016 file photo, Beyonce performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 50
saw that unambiguousness football game in Santa Clara, Calif.
with a performance on a
large scale.” Associated Press
Melina Abdullah, a Black
Lives Matter activist and utes to black activism dur- tect us, and keep us alive,” show “ridiculous.”
leader in California, said ing the halftime show when said Giuliani, who said he “I don’t know what the
it’s wonderful that artists performers are “talking to would have preferred “de- heck it was. A bunch of
like Beyonce “are willing to Middle America.” cent wholesome entertain- people bouncing around
raise social consciousness “I thought it was really out- ment.” and all strange things. It
and use their artistry to ad- rageous that she used it as To be fair, it wasn’t just Be- was terrible,” he said. “Ac-
vance social justice.” a platform to attack police yoncé that the 71-year tually don’t even know why
But not everyone appre- officers who are the people old Giuliani didn’t like. He we have this. I mean, this is
ciated Beyoncé’s per- who protect her and pro- called the whole halftime football.”q
formance. Republican
Congressman Peter King Gerson, scribe of ‘Monsters, Inc.,’
of New York immediately ‘Big Hero 6’ dies at 49
condemned Beyoncé for
her performance, saying The Associated Press
on Facebook “her pro- Daniel Gerson, who co-
Black Panther and anti-cop wrote several Walt Disney
video ‘Formation’ and her animated films including
Super Bowl appearance is “Monsters, Inc.” and “Big
just one more example of Hero 6,” has died. He was
how acceptable it has be-
come to be anti-police.” This July 12, 2010 photo re-
(While there were no direct leased by Disney shows Dan
references to police on the Gerson. Gerson, who co-
Super Bowl field, the video, wrote several Walt Disney ani-
released Saturday, fea- mated films including “Mon-
tures a young black child sters, Inc.” and “Big Hero 6,”
in a hoodie dancing in died at his Los Angeles home
front of a line of police offi- on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, af-
cers, and graffiti that reads ter battling brain cancer He
“Stop Shooting Us.”) was 49.
And all of this comes during
heightened racial tensions Associated Press
across the country, par-
ticularly in regards to alle- 49. both 2001’s “Monsters, Inc.” tale.
gations of police brutality. Gerson’s family said in a and its 2013 sequel, “Mon- The New York-born Gerson
Hollywood is grappling with statement that he died sters University.” got his start as a writer for
issues of race as well, with at his Los Angeles home Along with Robert L. Baird the NBC comedy “Some-
Spike Lee, Will Smith and on Saturday after battling and Jordan Roberts, Ger- thing So Right.”
Jada Pinkett Smith plan- brain cancer. Gerson was son co-wrote Disney’s Os- Gerson is survived by his
ning to skip the Academy a frequent contributor for car-winning “Big Hero 6,” wife, Beau Stacom, and
Awards after no actors of Pixar Animation, co-writing an animated superhero two children.q
color received Oscar nomi-
nations for a second year
in a row.
Lakeyta Bonnette, a Geor-
gia State University politi-
cal science professor, said
more and more celebrities
like Beyonce are moving
toward public activism.
In 2014, basketball super-
star LeBron James and
other NBA players wore “I
can’t breathe” T-shirts to
their basketball games: “I
can’t breathe” were the
last words of Eric Garner, a
black man who died after
a physical altercation with
police in New York City.
But some people have
complained that Beyonce
injected politics into a
sports event. On Monday’s
Fox & Friends, former New
York City Mayor Rudolph