Beyoncé’s Buffalo Soldiers Shirt Sparks Backlash

American history is filled with stories that are celebrated by some and painful for others. Recently, a moment on stage during Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tour stirred up a heated debate about how we look back at the past.

It happened when she wore a T-shirt featuring the Buffalo Soldiers, Black soldiers who served in the U.S. Army after the Civil War. The controversy comes down to the words printed on the shirt - words that have upset many who feel they reflect a harmful view of Native Americans and others.

This situation highlights how even fashion can spark discussions about race, history, and who gets to tell the story of America. During her Juneteenth performance in Paris, Beyoncé wore a white T-shirt showing images of the Buffalo Soldiers. But what caught people’s attention wasn’t just the pictures.

The shirt also had a paragraph on the back describing the Buffalo Soldiers’ enemies as “warring Indians, bandits, cattle thieves, murderous gunmen, bootleggers, trespassers, and Mexican revolutionaries.” This text has been criticized for labeling Native Americans and Mexican fighters as threats to peace instead of acknowledging them as communities fighting for their survival and rights.

Right now, there’s no word on what Beyoncé thinks about the controversy or if she plans to respond publicly.

Beyoncé’s shirt unfairly paints Native Americans and Mexicans as enemies.

The Buffalo Soldiers were Black men who served in six military units created by Congress in 1866, right after the Civil War. These men were often formerly enslaved or descendants of enslaved people. They were tasked with protecting settlers, building infrastructure, and fighting in conflicts across the western frontier.

They went on to serve in wars like the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II, staying active until 1951. While the Buffalo Soldiers’ service was an important part of Black history, their involvement in the U.S. Army’s campaigns also meant participating in violent efforts to seize land from Native Americans.

The quote on Beyoncé’s shirt doesn’t leave room for this complicated reality. Instead, it frames the Indigenous people and Mexican revolutionaries of the time as dangerous enemies, which many see as a harmful way of retelling history.

Understanding why the shirt caused such a reaction means looking at the Buffalo Soldiers themselves. They were often celebrated for their bravery in battle and for helping Black Americans gain a foothold in a country that still treated them as second-class citizens.

Yet they were also agents of U.S. expansion, helping push Indigenous communities off their lands, often with violence. That duality makes them both heroes to some and symbols of oppression to others.

Understanding the Psychology of Collective Memory

Collective memory, a term coined by French sociologist Maurice Halbwachs, helps explain the controversy surrounding Beyoncé's Buffalo Soldiers shirt. This concept refers to how groups remember their shared past, which often includes both pride and pain. The shirt stirred controversy because it evoked a shared memory that is viewed differently by different groups. The Buffalo Soldiers represent a point of pride for many African-Americans because they were some of the first Black soldiers to serve in the U.S. military. However, their role in the westward expansion of the U.S. is a painful memory for Native Americans, who view them as oppressors. The Journal of Social Issues has published extensive research on this subject.

Many online have criticized the shirt for reinforcing harmful Native stereotypes and ignoring Western violence.

Since the performance, fans and Indigenous influencers have taken to platforms like TikTok and Instagram to share their frustration. Many pointed out that the language on the shirt feeds into old stereotypes of Native Americans as violent obstacles to progress and erases the real suffering they endured during America’s push west.

One of those voices is Chisom Okorafor, who posts under the name @confirmedsomaya on TikTok. She said,

“The Buffalo Soldiers are an interesting historical moment to look at. But we have to be honest about what they did, especially in their operations against Indigenous Americans and Mexicans.”

Okorafor argued that trying to celebrate or reclaim Western imagery without acknowledging its dark parts ends up sending the wrong message.

She continued,

“Black people, too, can profit from the atrocities of (the) American empire. It is a message that tells you to abandon immigrants, Indigenous people, and people who live outside of the United States. It is a message that tells you not only is it a virtue to have been born in this country, but the longer your line extends in this country, the more virtuous you are.”commons.wikimedia

This moment with Beyoncé’s shirt goes beyond fashion. It challenges how we remember American history, who we label as heroes or villains, and how symbols from the past still impact us today.

As discussions around racism, colonization, and identity unfold, moments like this show that history is complicated and the way we talk about it makes all the difference.

Psychologist Dr. James W. Pennebaker argues that our identities are shaped by the narratives we construct about our past. So, when a symbol like the Buffalo Soldiers shirt stirs controversy, it's because it challenges some people's narratives about their identity. It's also important to note that our memories aren't perfect. In fact, research by Elizabeth Loftus shows that memory is malleable and susceptible to influence, which can lead to different interpretations of the same events.

The Role of Emotional Arousal in Memory Formation

Another aspect to consider is the role of emotional arousal in memory formation. As per a study published in Behavioural Brain Research, emotional events tend to be remembered more vividly than non-emotional ones. This could explain why certain historical events, like those involving the Buffalo Soldiers, lead to impassioned debates. For some, these events elicit strong emotions that likely enhance the vividness and saliency of the associated memories.

Analysis & Alternative Approaches

Ultimately, the controversy surrounding Beyoncé's Buffalo Soldiers shirt reveals much about our collective memory, identity, and emotional attachment to the past. It demonstrates how history is not just about facts and dates, but also about the narratives and emotions we attach to those facts. As we continue to grapple with our shared past, psychological insights can help us better understand these controversies and navigate the conversations they spark. A Frontiers in Psychology report provides a comprehensive overview on this topic.