Beyoncé's video is a call to action, says a dancer and activist from Hamilton

The ongoing dialogue around anti-black racism and police violence against people of colour is an important conversation that needs to continue, says Rodney Diverlus. And Beyoncé's latest music video is a part of that.

The professional choreographer and activist, formerly of Hamilton, said the singer's latest video, Formation, and her Super Bowl performance last month were important benchmarks in an ongoing battle for racial equality. He said the underlying message of both mediums was a call to action against police violence and anti-black racism.

With lyrics celebrating black culture and references made to the Black Panther Party and the Black Lives Matter movement, Beyoncé is contributing to the ongoing conversation around the state of black lives in Canada, the U.S. and globally, he said.

"I think that Beyoncé's Formation video and this message isn't new for us to hear about it," he said.

For me, the call to action is 'hey, what does this mean in my community?'- Rodney Diverlus

But the pop star has a massive global fan base, he said. When someone like Beyoncé sends the message that she's a part of this growing conversation, it inspires others to get involved.

Diverlus, 25, graduated from Westdale Secondary School in 2008 and then moved to Toronto to study performance dance at Ryerson University. He's a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto and works as a professional dancer and choreographer. He currently lives in Calgary.

Local response

When young Beyoncé fans in Hamilton see the cultural icon sitting on a New Orleans police car half submerged in water in the music video, their response should be to reach out to local organizations dedicated to black liberation causes, he said.

"For me, the call to action is 'hey, what does this mean in my community? How can I support the people doing this work that she's talking about, but locally?'"

There's always an excuse as to why unarmed black people end up being shot, as opposed to acknowledging maybe unarmed black people are shot because anti-black racism is real.- Rodney Diverlus

In Hamilton, there are a number of groups people can get involved in, he said. He listed the Black Liberation Collective at McMaster University and the Ontario Public Interest Research Group at McMaster as examples.

Ameil Joseph teaches a course at McMaster University called racism and social marginalization in Canadian society. He also co-chairs a working group with the President's Advisory Committee on Building Inclusive Community called race, racism and racialization. 

He said he hasn't noticed an increase to the number of black liberation activists coming forward following Beyoncé's video.

Critics dismissing the issue of anti-black racism

When he first saw the Formation music video and pop star's performance during the Super Bowl, Joseph said he noticed her use of symbolism, but didn't think much of it. It was only when he listened to the reactions of some of the critics who were calling the performance inappropriate or anti-police, did he react himself.

"The performance is a reflection of things that are happening in the community, people's recognition of systemic racism, the ongoing long history of antagonism and disproportionate criminalization of people of colour by police," he said in a phone interview.

Joseph said these critiques describing Beyoncé's performance as being anti-police are concerning to him, because they're a way of dismissing anti-black racism or racialized forms of violence as being real issues. 

"To deny institutional racism by calling that performance anti-police is a way of appropriating resistance and is another form of racialized violence," he said. "I think it diminishes the movements, it silences the issues and it kind of polarizes people."

Avoiding the conversation

Following Super Bowl weekend, some police unions in the United States asked their members not to volunteer to work on Beyoncé's Formation World Tour.

Diverlus said this type of reaction from police unions doesn't surprise him. In his experience as an activist, he said, police services generally tend to avoid having a conversation about violence against black people.

"There's always an excuse as to why unarmed black people end up being shot, as opposed to acknowledging maybe unarmed black people are shot because anti-black racism is real. Maybe we should talk about that," he said.

"As statistics are proving it and as things are starting to shape out, there are more safe spaces for people to be than to be with the police, actually. Especially for black folks."

Inspiring other artists

Diverlus said Knowles's video and performance were inspiring to him as a young and emerging artist.

When he creates, he said, he always tries to make art that is real and carries a bit of substance to it.

Cultural icons like Beyoncé have a responsibility to use their position of power to bring these important conversations to the forefront, he said. Her performance paves the way for other people of influence to take a stance of their own and use their position to further the conversation.

"It lets artists know that we can use our artistry and we can use the work that we're producing not only to satisfy an emotional need from an audience, but also as a cultural, political reality as well."

At the end of last month, Diverlus was one of six choreographers showcased in dance Immersion's Footsteps Across Canada. The performance at Harbourfront Centre capped off the end of Black History Month and highlighted works of creators from the African diaspora.