USCA recognizes the influence of Beyoncé
On Feb. 27, the Office of Diversity Initiatives held a listening session where the messages in music by popular artist Beyoncé were analyzed.
Through the artist’s creative and artistic contributions, feminism, black history, prejudice and racism have all been popular topics in her Lemonade Album, released in 2016.
The album received backlash from many sources including police departments and anti-feminists, who argued that Beyoncé supported the disrespect of police authority and encouraged women to act “out of character.”
The movement “Boycott Beyoncé” came to fruition as a result of a number of persons interpreting the powerful messages to reflect their own personal belief system. However, the movement flopped, naturally. Beyoncé turned the tables when she sold “Boycott Beyoncé” t-shirts at her concerts, making huge profits from the ordeal, upsetting those that wished to oppose the mogul.
At Beyoncé’s Miami concert on Apr. 27, many police offers refused to work, arguing that Beyoncé’s iconic 2016 Superbowl performance used the Black Panther apparel to divide Americans.
The Black Panther party (also known as The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a politically charged organization for the African-American community to challenge the vicious police brutality faced back then, and even now. The organization fought for socialism through organized, community-based programs and military self-defense.
Knowing what the Black Panther Party stood for and yet attempting to boycott Beyoncé revealed the racist charged perceptive of many Americans that still lives on today.
Aware of the wide influence of Beyoncé, bringing light to the injustice and pain caused by police brutality through her music was seen as a challenge to those wanting her not to speak out. However, She persevered, turning her lemons into lemonade.
Those in positions of power that use their authority for positivity are often tested by those hoping for control over the circumstances. The listening party covered Beyoncé’s charitable foundations, further proving her impact on important subjects like poverty, help to those suffering from natural disasters and victims on many levels.
The Beygood foundation, launched in 2017, works with other local organizations to bring relief to those in need.
The influencer’s Lemonade album was just one of many avenues that brought light to situations that are often kept in the dark. Awareness can be viewed as the mogul’s mission, along with activism and creating change with her immense platform.
This event was hosted by Meridith Ashley McCray of the Office of Diversity Initiatives during Black History Month, to highlight Beyoncé’s mass influence.
