
“Formation,” by Beyoncé Knowles, utilizes several symbols derived from historical roots to bring forth oppressed issues that are typically ignored in today’s society. Modern society in United States of America is retrogressing to the mindset of superiority of Caucasian citizen over citizens of color. Despite a rather large revolution taking place to call attention to injustice, concerns are still being ignored by individuals with the power to change the state of the country. Through the video, Knowles subjects the audience to obvious as well as hidden messages that address the unfair hierarchy of race and the concerns of the black community. By evaluating the placement of visual motifs such as Beyoncé atop a car or a hooded child before policemen, we can discern that the severity of racial stereotyping and police brutality is often underestimated and ignored by individuals in position of power. This is important because it allows for a better understanding of the daily challenges faced by people of color.

In the opening scene, Knowles is rooted upon a New Orleans police car, in a flooded city (00:05). Placement in this scene represents the rising of oppressed issues concerned with the black community. The lack of multiple individuals in this scene is symbolic of the lack of encouragement from other ethnicities. By standing alone, Knowles is demonstrating that social issues are not being addressed. Throughout the video, Knowles is seen in different positions on the car such as crouching, standing, and lying as well as on different parts of the car such as the truck and the roof. Her stance parallels to the various ways in which she is devoted to expressing her passion for the Black Lives Matter movement while her location on top of the car symbolizes the ranks of authority to which she wants acknowledgement from. The location alludes to the still uninhabitable regions of New Orleans following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and, along with the flood waters, embodies the overwhelming amount of racial issues in modern society. The New Orleans police car is a metaphor for higher authorities ignoring cries for help and taking advantage of subordinate individuals, another issue not given enough attention. Submerging the car in flood water parallels to racial concerns being increasingly ventilated to higher authorities, in hopes of a positive interference. 

Later in the video, a young African American boy is seen wearing a hoodie while dancing before Caucasian policemen (03:43). In this scene, positioning characterizes the extent of police brutality against the black community as often deadly. The background, where a multitude of police cars with flashing sirens are depicted, allows the audience to assume the officers were called to investigate an innocent activity. This is emblematic of the misconception that all black people, even in harmless situations, are often considered a threat. The policemen, heavily equipped with guns and vests, in the mid ground, are representative of constant excessive force and societal tendencies to stereotype racially. Placement of the officers readily armed, in front of the cars rather than inside them, parallels to society metaphorically jumping to conclusions based on appearance. In the foreground of this scene, the African American boy represents the issue of racial stereotyping in modern society and the awareness of children of inequality. The boy’s hoodie alludes to the case of Trayvon Martin’s death in which his attacker argued that Trayvon’s hoodie deemed him a threat. Constant shots of the boy from behind create a sense of ambiguity, showing that any one person of color could be in that situation, at any given time. In the last seconds of this scene, the boy raises his arms demonstrating “hands up, don’t shoot” and in response, the police also raise their hands (04:20). This portion of the video, in which the policemen recognize the boy’s innocence, demonstrates the ideal officer-citizen relationship desired by the black community.

The closing scene retrogresses to the opening in which Knowles is atop the submerged New Orleans police car (04:41). While the car proceeds to sink, which is symbolic of high authorities being unable to ignore the pleas of the oppressed, she lies down until she is completely underwater. Allowing herself to sink into the water exemplifies her determination to willingly espouse the issues regarding the black community. This action also conveys her confidence in completing a crucial task: bringing attention to ideas and issues that are as oppressed as the people whom it concerns.

Many of the visual motifs displayed throughout the video are self-explanatory; however, without knowledge of the deeper problems within the black community, many of these symbols remain as overlooked as what they represent. The video, as a whole, depicts situations that allude to the relatively large recent controversy of Caucasian police brutality against African American citizens, but some relate to some of the less discussed issues such as stereotyping and its influence on adolescents. The appearance of children forces the audience to recognize the intensity of violence in modern society. The innocence of children, especially those of color, are being clouded as they quickly become aware of the injustice in regards to police officials. The variation between settings of poverty and abundance forces viewers to not associate colored skin with poverty. It demonstrates the problem with stereotyping and encourages an open mind to individuals that associate negative connotations with dark skin. Many of the symbols are incorporated into the video to convey how fatal racial tragedies, paired with governmental neglect, shaped a racial revolution while other motifs characterize the role of media in spreading awareness of injustice.
