Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith signed a proclamation Monday officially designating the day “Beyoncé Day” in honor of Houston, Texas native and singer Beyoncé Knowles.
Fans of late rock legend Prince — who was born, raised, educated, lived, and died in Minnesota -— blasted Governor Dayton on social media for honoring Beyoncé with her own day before doing the same for the Purple Rain singer.
“Beyoncé Day” was declared just hours before the controversial singer’s “Formation” concert stop on Monday in Minneapolis. The proclamation praised Beyoncé for her impact on “many young girls and women with powerful, positive messages in her songs.”
The declaration was well intended. The reaction was harsh. Most people questioned why Beyoncé was given a day dedicated to her before Minnesota’s own legendary performer, Prince.
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One Facebook user pointed out Beyoncé’s “racially charged Super Bowl halftime show.”
Indeed, four months before Beyoncé dropped her Black Lives Matter-themed album, Lemonade, she came under fire for her racially-charged Super Bowl halftime performance, in which the pop star performed the song “Formation” alongside a slew of backup dancers dressed in Black Panthers paraphernalia. Beyoncé led her band of backup dancers to form an X in the middle of Levi’s Stadium in an apparent tribute to Malcolm X.
After Beyoncé’s performance — which former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani called a “platform to attack police officers” — the hashtag #BoycottBeyoncé began trending on social media.
Several Pittsburgh police officers have reportedly refused to work security for Beyoncé’s May 31 concert at Heinz Field, due to what they call the singer’s anti-police lyrics.
Many Facebook users expressed anger over Governor Dayton’s decision to honor Beyoncé, after she “promoted violence against police” and law enforcement officials.
After the Minneapolis-St. Paul local Fox News affiliate posted the “Beyoncé Day” new to its Facebook page, Minnesota residents didn’t hesitate to broadcast their collective rage toward Governor Mark Dayton.
In the hours after Prince’s death, on April 21, the world turned purple. It actually rained in Minneapolis, as chronicled by the Minnesota Twins Twitter account:
The fury over “Beyoncé Day” was also evident on Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton’s official Facebook page. Hundreds reacted, and many Minnesotans questioned Governor Dayton’s sanity while others said they’ve never been more ashamed of their own state.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
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