This is a guest opinion column.
She did it again. On Christmas evening, Beyoncé rode horseback into NRG Stadium during the NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans and performed a show-stopping, banjo-infused, cowboy-inspired halftime show.
[Read more: Beyoncé performance at NFL halftime an ‘incredible moment’ for Alabama singer]
Beyoncé designed, practiced and, with precision, executed a defiant rebuttal to any and everyone who said she didn’t belong in country music. Beyoncé‘s performance was a proverbial libation to the Black ancestral legacy of country music. Each note sung, each choreographed step, each boot-stomping do-si-do was an intentional declaration that our contributions to the world of country music will never be denied.
Since the modern country music industry had the arrogance to shun Beyoncé‘s record-breaking album, her performance delivered an in-their-face reality check that the genre was irrefutably created by Black people. And to drive that message even further, Beyoncé purposely highlighted lesser-known Black country musicians; building their confidence and opening doors methodically built to keep them out. This deliberate strategy intended to ensure that the landscape of country music become more safe, encouraging and supportive for Black artists.
The significance of Beyoncé’s performance goes beyond paying homage to Black country music. There is something else there that we don’t want to miss.
Beyoncé’s performance was an unapologetic love letter to Black women.
Beyoncé was calculated. She knew what she was doing. She used every ounce of her talent to inspire Black women to embrace, insert and showcase our presence to the world. For centuries, Black women have been coaxed to ‘stay in our place’. We continue to live with ongoing attempts to downplay our exceptionalism. Yet, we are creatives, innovators and nurturers forging our way forward while leaving remnants of our influential brilliance throughout history.
If Beyoncé’s form-fitting leotard, high-waisted chaps and hip thrusting dance breaks made anyone squirm in their seat, it says more about them than it does about her. The fact is that few (if any) can do what Beyoncé does and she knows that. Some can’t handle the confidence Black women possess; it makes them uncomfortable. When our presence is interpreted as a threat, that is someone else’s problem. And when someone is intimidated by Black women, it does not mean Black women are intimidating. It is not our responsibility to minimize ourselves to make others comfortable.
When Black women stifle our radiant energies to keep peace, promote counterproductive diplomacy or appease self-centered and self-righteous wolves in sheep’s clothing hell-bent on exploiting us, it is exhausting, depressing, triggering and anxiety-inducing. Our mental health is jeopardized every time we are asked to keep the fullness of our presence to ourselves. Beyoncé reminds us that our presence should take center stage regardless of how it makes others feel.
Much like Nikki Giovanni’s Ego Tripping (there may be a reasons why) or Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman, Beyoncé’s performance gave permission for Black women to be big, bold and bodacious. In featuring her daughter, Blue Ivy, Beyoncé provided a blueprint of how to cultivate future generations of Black women to never dim their brazen presence.
Some paint Beyoncé‘s performance as braggadocios. But let’s be real; what Black women hasn’t been told she is arrogant, argumentative, dramatic, or just “too much”. The fact is, Beyoncé is shrewd. She commanded visibility and dared anyone to disrespect her again. She looked directly into the camera, tipped her cowboy hat and with a steady hand, sent a clear message: she ain’t going nowhere. That every failed effort to diminish her presence would only make her shine brighter. She provided an unabashed example to Black women of how to show up and show out. Now it’s up to us to ‘get in formation’.
Beyoncé let the world know that she can do what she wants. And the gift of her Christmas performance was an affirming reminder to Black women that we can do the same. So, show up, be big and take up space! It matters to our mental health.
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Dr. Nadia Johnson is the founder/CEO of the Black Women’s Mental Health Institute, a nonprofit that builds mental health awareness and support for the holistic wellbeing of Black women and girls provides free counseling throughout Alabama.