Singer Beyoncé has faced criticism over a shirt she wore during a Juneteenth performance on her “Cowboy Carter” tour in Paris, which featured images of the Buffalo Soldiers and described them as “the enemies of peace, order and settlement: warring Indians, bandits, cattle thieves, murderous gunmen, bootleggers, trespassers, and Mexican revolutionaries.” The term has sparked debates over how Americans remember their history.
The Buffalo Soldiers were a unit of Black U.S. Army soldiers who fought in multiple conflicts between the late 1800s and early 1900s. While they served to protect American interests, their military actions also involved violence against Native American tribes as part of the US Army’s westward expansion. Critics argue that using Western symbols like this perpetuates a problematic message that Black people can engage in American nationalism and profit from the empire-building efforts of the past.
Fans and Indigenous influencers have taken to social media to express their concerns, with some stating that there is no progressive way to reclaim America’s history of imperialism and that Beyoncé’s use of Western symbolism sends a troubling message.
Source: https://www.fox4news.com/news/beyonce-buffalo-soldiers-shirt-native-americans