
Beyoncé stormed onto the entertainment scene in the early 1990s with the three girl soul group Destiny’s Child. She excelled and turned into an entertainment force performing in videos, singing, and becoming a fashion icon.  Born in Houston, Texas in the early 1980s Beyoncé experienced what it is like to be a black woman growing up in the south. The music video, “Formation,” is one of the most politically controversial works she has done to date and when the video came out for the first time in the beginning of February 2016 it went viral. “Formation” takes place in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina during a black lives matter movement. In the lyrics and video one can see a lot of symbolism in the black woman movement, police brutality, and the post-Katrina New Orleans. 

The people of New Orleans are represented by showing their clothing and food and culture. In her lyrics “My daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana, You mix that Negro with that Creole make a Texas bema” the audience sees Beyoncé as a southern black woman.  Beyoncé made this video as a tribute to black lives especially black women. This video points out different stereotypes of black people including wigs and a reference to hot sauce in a women’s purse. Throughout the video there are scenes of many African American women getting into “Formation” and dancing in a dried pool. This is a very powerful image showing an arrangement of women very similar to the way slaves were lined up in a market place. This scene shows how powerful black women can be. “I slay” is used throughout the song and according to urban dictionary it means to dominate. Beyoncé’ wants the people to know that black women dominate and are no longer slaves to anyone.

Beyoncé’s daughter, Ivy, is confidently showing off her afro in a scene. This is showing how proud Beyoncé is of her culture. “I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros”.  There is also a scene of Beyoncé in a black dress with African American men wearing black behind her. This symbolizes how women are becoming more relevant in society. She is very confident and the men look like they are almost serving her. This scene is shot with a bug’s-eye view showing Beyoncé from above. This shot shows Beyoncé as more superior and intimidating.  We are reminded of slavery because of how they are placed in front of a plantation. Beyoncé ends up flicking off the camera as a way of showing how far African Americans have come from the times they have been oppressed. 

One of the most memorable scenes in “Formation” is when Beyoncé lies on top of a police car in the middle of the water surrounded by the aftermath of Katrina. This scene has a lot of symbolism in it from the police car to the flooded water in New Orleans. The city is very poor and houses still have not been rebuilt. Beyoncé shows that she is not surrendering to the law and the circumstances. The police car represents the law and establishment that she is against. This part of the scene shows what people did not really see on the news after the storm, and where New Orleans is now. It has been ten years since the hurricane happened, but New Orleans is still suffering, and Beyoncé wants to show people to never forget about what happened. At the end of this scene the police car sinks with Beyoncé on it. The police car that sinks is symbolism how many of the lives that were lost in Katrina that could have been saved. This could also stand for how the police system is becoming corrupt. 

Beyoncé recognizes racism and struggles between police officers and the African American community. There are many images that show this, but none more evident than the scene where an African American boy is dancing in front of a bunch of white police officers. This scene reflects a lot of what is happening in the United States today. The audience see’s white people for the first time. Beyoncé wants people to know that there is still racism in the world. This scene has a large impact because there are so many stories of white police officers killing young black kids. The police officers are holding up their hands, and surrendering to this African American boy. The boy represents innocence, and could show how at some point there is going to have to be a stop to discrimination. Beyoncé is using the camera angle to show the vulnerability of the boy. This scene uses an over-the-shoulder shot with the little boy shown in the immediate foreground and the police officers further away looking at the boy. As the video progresses there is a white wall with writing saying “stop shooting us” in all black letters. The symbolism of this is, not only the colors of the letters representing the colors of skin, but also the violence that is taking place in New Orleans and throughout our country.  

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating storm that happened on August 23, 2005. The effects of storm destroyed many homes and killed more than 1800 people. Throughout this video one can see the old and new south. The audience see’s the beautiful plantations and the poverty in the slums. Beyoncé is reminding us of all the suffering and loss that happened in New Orleans ten years ago. We are made aware of how people have forgotten what happened and need to help and need to help. This video shows how police officers are abusing their authority and affecting many black lives. Black women are represented throughout the video as very strong and unified. They are coming together against social injustice, and proud of their heritage. Beyoncé is an icon and has a huge voice for the African American community. She artistically expressed the political situations in America today, and is trying to make people aware of the injustices so that it can be changed. 
