Beyoncé Faces Scrutiny Over Controversial Shirt Featuring Buffalo Soldiers During Juneteenth Performance

Beyoncé Faces Scrutiny Over Controversial Shirt Featuring Buffalo Soldiers During Juneteenth Performance

Beyoncé is under public scrutiny following her Juneteenth performance in Paris, where she wore a T-shirt that has sparked controversy over its portrayal of Indigenous and Mexican communities. The incident has reignited broader debates about historical representation, cultural symbolism, and the responsibilities of public figures in framing American history.

The shirt, worn during the Paris leg of her Cowboy Carter tour, featured an image of the Buffalo Soldiers—Black U.S. Army units that served after the Civil War—and included a description that referred to their adversaries as “the enemies of peace, order and settlement: warring Indians, bandits, cattle thieves, murderous gunmen, bootleggers, trespassers, and Mexican revolutionaries.”

This wording has drawn criticism from Indigenous activists, scholars, and social media commentators who argue that the language promotes an imperialist narrative and reinforces anti-Indigenous and anti-Mexican sentiments. Critics note that such framing erases the lived experiences of communities historically displaced and marginalized during westward expansion.

As Beyoncé prepares to return to the U.S. for performances in her hometown of Houston, the controversy has grown, prompting calls for a public acknowledgment or apology. A spokesperson for the artist has not responded to requests for comment.

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Historical Context: The Buffalo Soldiers and Their Complicated Legacy

The Buffalo Soldiers, established in 1866, were composed of formerly enslaved individuals, freedmen, and Black Civil War veterans. They served in six segregated units across numerous conflicts, including the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. However, a lesser-discussed aspect of their legacy involves their role in military campaigns against Indigenous peoples during the U.S. expansion westward.

“The early stories that talked about the Buffalo Soldiers were impacted by romanticized views of the Western frontier,” said Cale Carter, Director of Exhibitions at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston. “Only recently have we begun to include the complexities of their involvement in displacing Indigenous communities.”

Carter noted that while many accounts say Native American tribes named the soldiers “Buffalo Soldiers” in recognition of their courage, historical evidence for this is limited.

Michelle Tovar, the museum’s Director of Education, added that increasing political pressure on schools—particularly in states like Texas—has restricted the teaching of nuanced American history. “Our museum serves as a space to confront these histories honestly, even when schools cannot,” she said.

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Cultural Symbols and the “Cowboy Carter” Narrative

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album has been widely celebrated as a cultural reclamation of American Western iconography by Black artists. The album made her the first Black woman to top the Billboard country chart and earned her the 2025 Grammy for Album of the Year. Historians and critics have noted that the album challenges the historical whiteness of country music and western aesthetics.

According to Tad Stoermer, a historian at Johns Hopkins University, Beyoncé’s work seeks to assert Black presence in the mythos of the American West. “The Buffalo Soldiers play a central role in Black ownership of that history,” he said. “But there’s a fine line between reclamation and perpetuating nationalistic myths.”

Alaina E. Roberts, a University of Pittsburgh historian whose research focuses on the intersection of Black and Native American life, echoed that sentiment. “While Beyoncé may have intended to uplift Black history through the Buffalo Soldiers, their involvement in campaigns against Indigenous peoples complicates that message,” she said. “It’s not just about representation—it’s about responsibility.”

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Public Reaction and Broader Implications

The reaction to the performance has been swift and widespread. Indigenous activists, cultural commentators, and fans alike have criticized the language on the shirt and what they view as a misstep in Beyoncé’s portrayal of history.

The popular Indigenous media account @indigenous.tv, which has more than 130,000 Instagram followers, questioned whether the singer would address the controversy in a post on Thursday. “Do you think Beyoncé will apologize—or even acknowledge—the shirt?” the caption read.

Chisom Okorafor, a commentator on TikTok (@confirmedsomaya), described the moment as emblematic of a larger issue in American culture. “There is no progressive way to reclaim the history of westward expansion,” she said. “This sends a troubling message—that Black Americans, too, can claim power through American nationalism, even when that means participating in the erasure of other marginalized groups.”

Okorafor further argued that Beyoncé’s use of Western iconography could be read as affirming a hierarchy based on citizenship and lineage within the U.S., to the exclusion of Indigenous, immigrant, and international communities.

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As the Cowboy Carter tour continues, the incident has become a flashpoint for broader discussions around race, history, identity, and the ethical use of cultural symbolism. Whether or not Beyoncé responds, the controversy has underscored the evolving expectations placed on artists engaging with historical narratives in the public eye.