In Beyoncé’s music video, “Formation,” she illustrates the Black Lives Matter movement. One scene that caught the attention of people all across the country is the scene in which one young boy dances in front of a line of police men. At 3:39, a little boy dressed in black jeans, a black hoodie, and black sneakers with his hood up dances his soul out, while the policemen stand in formation watching. The young child, standing alone against 10 policemen, does not care that he is alone, as he continues to strut all of his moves without any hesitation. The boy almost looks as if he is in a dance battle with the policemen. Looking extremely intimidating, the police stand side by side and leave no space between one another, with their hands gripped together in front of them, as if they are ready for anything that comes their way. Dressed in matching uniforms, with police badges above their hearts, using masks and other riot gear including a bullet proof vest, shoulder pads and knee pads the police men are standing there just watching. We view the young child dancing from a full view shot through the space of two police men, showing no movement and the child who continues to dance. The police stand in front of the child with their cars directly behind them, flashing their lights. The scene takes place in an alley that is gated off on every side, making it seem as if the young boy is trapped. 

In the same scene at 4:16, the young boy throws up his arms towards the police and in the background we can see that the alley is not closed off and that there is an end where he can run away. However, he stands there, facing the police with his arms all the way up in the air. As soon as the young boy throws his arms up, a close up view of the police raising their arms one at a time going down the line appears. This, a full view of everyone in the scene with their arms up contradicts what is going on in today’s society. For example, the young African American boy seems unafraid and confident, which in the riots that are happening today is the complete opposite.  Young kids are terrified of the police and the way they have been treating their friends and family members. Unlike the music video where the policemen submissively raise their arms into the air, cops in reality hold their guns in the air.

 Next, the scene flashes a close up panoramic view of a large, grungy, paint-chipped wall with black spray painted letters that says “stop shooting us.” The letters seem to be written in a sloppy fashion, as if they were sprayed in a rush to make sure they did not get in trouble. The “us” refers to the African Americans who are being mistreated by police forces. The words on the wall demonstrate the desperation African American’s feel towards trying to receive equal rights. For centuries, African American people have been mistreated and denied rights that the majority of people have. Now that the President of the United States of America is an African American man, People of color all over the country are fighting for the rights that they deserve. 

The Black Lives Matter movement has been a phenomenon that countries all over the world have been paying close attention to. In Beyoncé’s “Formation,” she stands up for African Americans. The child dancing in front of the policemen symbolizes freedom. Dancing is usually a symbol of freedom where you are able to do absolutely anything you want with your body. The boy dancing in front of the police shows his freedom and how he doesn’t need to be violent to work toward his freedom. He does not care that he is alone, or that he is standing in front of authorities who aren’t moving a muscle. The policemen wearing their riot gear against a child who most likely weighs a quarter of their weight, stand strong as if they are ready at any moment for an attack. In the real world, riots continue to occur, and the people who have been standing with their hands up have been getting tased and shot for doing absolutely nothing. The police standing with their cars behind them try to show how much power they have; the ability to throw you in the back, lock you up like a dog in a cage without having a single reason why. The fact that the alley was closed off by all the gates also shows the way police can trap you in a space. In this scene, Beyoncé is trying to demonstrate the inequality that African Americans face. During the part where the young boy throws his arms into the air, he symbolizes that he isn’t there to hurt anyone. The boy wants nothing to do with violence or harm, he merely wants to show he has nothing to hide and wants to hurt no one. The camera also pans over the full view of the alley where there is actually an opening where he can run away, but the young boy has nothing to hide from, nothing to run from because along with every African American person in this country, he believes that they have the right to equality, which they do. The point Beyoncé makes when the police raise their arms is that they can raise their arms along with the African American people of this country instead of reaching for their guns, because they don’t always have to turn to violence if there is nothing violent happening. She is also attempting to show that not all police are bad, and not all police are filled with rage, the lust for power, and injustice. The statement “stop shooting us” on the wall demonstrates how scared African Americans are of the police force. They fear that just because of their skin color, they are going to be shot or tased for walking down the street. Beyoncé tries to relay the message that races of all color deserve equal rights and that no matter what African Americans are going to be proud of who they are and what they believe in. 

Social change is needed in America because all people should be able to live their daily lives without constant fear that they might end up dead or in jail, if they are innocent. The Black Lives Matter movement has been making huge strides mainly due to the publicity it has been receiving and it needs to continue to be seen and heard. All humans are created the same way and should be treated as equals. Beyoncé is able to use her celebrity status to fight for social change. More celebrities and people in positions of power that can influence others should follow Beyoncé’s lead and fight for social justice. The music video portrays arguably the biggest issue we have in the United States at the moment, but it also gives us the answer: put your arms up and be open to those around you.
