*Beyoncé may have caught flak for her high-powered Super Bowl 50 halftime show performance, but the “Formation” vocalist is getting support where it counts from those affiliated with the organization she paid tribute to.
A look at the National Alumni Association of the Black Panther Party’s Facebook page shows several posts regarding Beyoncé and her performance. Among those commenting is William Johnson, who joined the Panthers at age 19. The following is his Facebook post on the halftime performance:
As an original member of the Black Panther Party I thank Beyoncé for her courage to make a statement on National TV. I am sure she understood the backlash that would follow her performance @ the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl, so on behalf of The National Alumni Association of the Black Panther Party we thank you & salute you.
Johnson continued his praise for Beyoncé’s performance as he highlighted how the set “opens the door” to learn more about the Black Panther Party for those who aren’t as familiar with the organization or its impact.
“It opens the door for us to tell our true history,” Johnson told theGrio. “Because most of the youngsters, even a lot of the young activists, by the time, they were born, the Black Panther Party didn’t even exist but a lot of them had free breakfast in their schools. And a lot of them don’t know why. So it’s a chance for us to give them our true history and our legacy.”
Johnson’s approval of Beyoncé’s performance contrasts the severe backlash the entertainer has received from people who have encouraged a “boycott” of her music and may take their boycott of Queen Bey’s ‘glorification’ of the Panthers to the NFL headquarters in New York next week.
Despite the criticism, Beyoncé’s supporters, including famed music producer and Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers, have countered with positive feedback for what she did during the halftime show. Check out Rodger’s tweet below, which showed included a photo him in his younger days supporting the Panther 21:
I love @Beyonce song #formation. That's me standing in formation outside the NYC courthouse. I was 16 yrs old. pic.twitter.com/CC0rYK2kcB
— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) February 8, 2016
The renewed spotlight on the Panthers couldn’t have come at a better time, as the organization celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding on October 15, 1966. In addition, folks can learn more about the Panthers as PBS gears up to air Stanley Nelson’s critically-acclaimed documentary, “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” on Tuesday (Feb. 16).
