Beyoncé’s recent album, Act II: Cowboy Carter, has not only made waves in the music industry but reignited discussions around American history and its representation. The album combines heartland country with folk based Americana. It launched her into history, making her the first Black woman to hit number one on Billboard’s country music chart. Further, she won the highly coveted Album of the Year award at the 2025 Grammy Awards ceremony for Cowboy Carter.
The pop megastar’s recent outfit for a live performance, on her Cowboy Carter tour, has sparked a massive uproar. At this year’s Juneteenth celebration, Beyoncé wore a shirt that featured iconography of the Buffalo Soldiers. These intrepid Black US army contingents fought aggressively on behalf of the United States during the later periods of the aforementioned timespan. The back of the shirt included a detailed description of their role in American history, which sparked controversy among Native influencers, performers, and academics online.
The Buffalo Soldiers’ fight against Indigenous peoples was one of the many battles the soldiers were forced to fight as part of the US army’s campaigns during westward expansion. One of the main critiques from art historians and critics is that Beyoncé’s imagery whitens the frame of history. They argue that it white-washes the damaging impacts these soldiers had on Native communities.
In her T-shirt design, the description states that “their antagonists were the enemies of peace, order and settlement: warring Indians, bandits, cattle thieves, murderous gunmen, bootleggers, trespassers, and Mexican revolutionaries.” This kind of language has drawn accusations of anti-Indigenous sentiment, raising speculation about whether Beyoncé would publicly address the controversy.
Chisom Okorafor, a prominent voice in the discussion, stated, “We have to be honest about what they did, especially in their operations against Indigenous Americans and Mexicans.” This sentiment speaks to a larger frustration over the ways that popular culture perpetuates historical narratives.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour recently brought her to Paris, where she debuted the T-shirt that sparked controversy. In addition to that, her website has been regularly adorned with the images of shirt as well as video from the performance. Critics have pointed out that the imagery may convey a message that excludes Indigenous people and immigrants from the narrative of American identity. One female speaker commented on this concept: “It is a message that tells you to abandon immigrants, Indigenous people, and people who live outside … the United States.”
To its credit, the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston has recognized some of the complexities surrounding the Buffalo Soldiers’ legacy. Today, the museum is building a fuller, deeper narrative of soldiers’ engagements with Native Americans. It emphasizes their role in the ongoing theft of indigenous land. Cale Carter, the museum’s director of exhibitions, said tribes probably bestowed the name “Buffalo Soldiers” from respect for their courage. He was quick to point out that the concept’s roots may be more mythical than historical.
Beyoncé’s appropriation of the Buffalo Soldiers invites us to consider how Black Americans might participate in and/or resist stories of national identity. American nationalism, Black people can be just as interested in that,” Okorafor said, underscoring the importance of a more holistic view of history that considers all sides.
Criticism of Beyoncé’s fashion choice and what it means rolls on. Inappropriately, her spokesperson has stonewalled on comment. Recent developments have opened the door to this important discussion about representation and how we choose to confront or honor our past in today’s society.