‘Irreplaceable’ Beyoncé brings Malcolm X to the Super Bowl; her Audacious Message scratches the Surface?of Questions to Ask

By Nita Wiggins

(PARIS, France) Music queen Beyoncé Knowles holds the entertainment industry in her hands. Because she’s untouchable and wanted to do it, she paid homage to Malcolm X during the halftime show of nothing less than the Super Bowl — raising her fisted left hand. The gigantic, gold X on the front of her black bodysuit gleamed as the crowd roared.

?Makes me proud. It’s what I wanted. I want people to feel proud — have love for themselves,? she told Entertainment Tonight reporter Kevin Frazier immediately after leaving the field in Santa Clara, California. 

?Art is the unapologetic celebration of culture through self-expression. It can impact people in a variety of ways for different reasons at different times. Some will react; some will respond; and some will be moved,? said Queen Bey 8 days later. She read those words at the 2016 Grammy Awards as a surprise, drop-in presenter of the night’s closing award. 

Again, a show-stealer. 

Her words were not quite as direct as Nina Simone’s ? I am not non-violent ? statement, but Beyoncé chose her second high-profile platform to spread her ideas unimpeded. 

At the Super Bowl, she sang lyrics about liking afros, ?cornbreads [sic] and collard greens’’ and ? my negro nose.? The 34-year-old from Houston, Texas, goes where she wants and does what she wants when she’s there.

More than one dozen female dancers punctuated the Super Bowl song and dance tribute to Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. Their afros of varying lengths bounced in rhythm under their black berets as they moved to the pulsating sounds of Beyoncé’s new song 'Formation.' Their choreography unfurled into an X formation that spread out over 15 yards of the football field. 

And, the dancers struck a pose with fists thrust upward alongside and behind Beyoncé — amplifying the message.

The Black Panthers Party was born 50 years ago (in October 1966) in Oakland, Calif., virtually in the backyard of the 50th the Super Bowl that was played on Feb. 7. 

Beyoncé’s swirl of activity over 9 days in February left parts of her American public reeling. Nielsen’s Fast Total Audience estimates that 112 million people watched the CBS network broadcast. Additionally, over 19 million people went to youtube to view the Super Bowl halftime show in the first 2 weeks following the game. 

Some outraged people questioned her taking an homage to the slain civil rights activist to the playing field of the Super Bowl. She crossed the line, they railed. 

But if not there, then where?

And if not Bey, then who?

The Bey Nation raised its voice behind her, however, supporting her choice of  the venue, the dancing, the X formation, and her right to decry the current climate of racial injustices and racially-motivated attacks. Her supporters likened the raised fists at the Super Bowl to the Black Power salute carried out by track and field medalists John Carlos and Tommie Smith at the Mexico City Olympic Games. 

The latter two focused on the inequities between black and white Americans at the time of their sports performances in 1968; Bey did the same with a focus on police killings of unarmed black citizens and the disproportionate suffering of black people in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. 

Of course I knew the history and the travails of the socially-conscious Olympians. I had not heard of outspoken, American-born singer Nina Simone (referred to above) until a white French friend mentioned her in 2010, incredulous that I did not know about her positions.

Though I had heard of Malcolm X, it was always in hushed conversations as if merely pronouncing the syllables of his name would visit something unpleasant upon the people who spoke of him. I felt puzzled each time and figured it was a question better left unasked. 

So that’s the answer now. An irrepressible part of Americana (that would be Malcolm X) is juxtaposed with another part of Americana (the football game). The man was killed; the message lives.

I, as a young person, did not force open the door to the knowledge. Beyoncé has now opened the door. 

It’s important to take note that Black Panthers member Albert  Woodfox was released from prison on February 19 — after 43 years. Even if the American Establishment reporters did not cover that development and are not probing  into issues related to solitary confinement, the questions will bubble over from  inquisitive people who are now armed with computers. And many of them will follow up their questions because of the Super Bowl spotlight on the BPP. 

Some people applaud that with her February actions Beyoncé’s accepting her ‘Irreplaceable’ role in American culture and in black culture, in particular. 

A lyric from her 2006 song ‘Irreplaceable’ reminds us:

?Don’t ever start thinking you’re irreplaceable…. ? 

But, Queen Bey proves she is just that.

Pepsi, the sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show, brought her back for the second time in 3 years. Though Coldplay headlined the 13-minute show on paper, Ms. Knowles blasted away the band and solo singer Bruno Mars in the moments they were all on the stage together. In 2014, Beyoncé, without controversy, performed at the SB and belted out her hits and a memorable version of ‘Halo.’ 

No halo this time ‘round.

As for Beyoncé’s being untouchable, American Express is sponsoring her upcoming concerts; the world tour she announced the day after the Super Bowl. If AmEx decides she’s not right for the brand identity of the card, there’s always Visa in the wings to step up. Or, you name any major corporation. 

A free-for-all bidding war to back the concert could open up. Make no mistake, the show will go on. 

Expect that her messaging will continue, too.

According to lyric from the 'Formation' song:

?Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper.? And in the US, having "paper" equals speech. 

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American Nita Wiggins teaches journalism in Paris. She comments on American lifestyle, sports, politics, and racial issues. Nita’s currently writing her memoir about being a black female sports journalist on television from 1991 to 2009. Follow her   @EducatingMsNita