In what will be one of the most memorable Super Bowl halftime shows behind Janet Jackson‘s wardrobe malfunction, the “first lady of Hip Hop” Beyonce honored The Black Panther Party For Self Defense with a halftime performance in which her dancers donned all black outfits and black berets to commemorate the Black power group just in time for Black History Month.
Right on the heels of the release of her “Formation” track and visual which addresses issues of racial inequality and voices both the effects of Hurricane Katrina and of police brutality towards the black community, Bey wowed the crowd that was in attendance at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara with a performance dedicated to the Black-centered grassroots organization, Founded 50 years ago in Oakland, California by Bobby Seale and the late Huey P. Newton, the Panthers were a very pivotal group in the Civil Rights struggle of Black people in America in the 1960s.
The show saw both her and her dancers, donning leather body suits and black berets reminiscent of the Black Panthers movement, with her dancer joining her in raising the Black fist, a symbol which was widely used by the BPP. The dancers also formed an X at one point, which may reference a key inspiration for the Party, Malcolm X.
