The Super Bowl is almost here and Rihanna is ready to shake up the event. The superstar singer is scheduled to headline the halftime show and was effusive about what it means to her to be a part of it.
She said that it is an opportunity for her to be representative of all the groups with which she identifies in the United States. She is an immigrant, a black woman and a representative of the Caribbean in the United States and is proud to be able to share her journey on the stage of the Super Bowl.
“That’s a big part of why it’s important to me to do the show: representation,” Rihanna said. “To represent immigrants; to represent my country, Barbados; to represent black women everywhere… That’s so important… to see the possibilities… I’m honored to be here… doing this.
“A long way from home, a beautiful journey I’m on,” Rihanna said. “And I never could have imagined that she would have made it here. So, it’s a celebration of that… I’m very excited to have Barbados on the stage at the Super Bowl.”
A significant departure from Rihanna’s previous stance during the Super Bowl
Four years ago, the NFL contacted Rihanna to gauge her interest in being a part of the halftime show. However, she demurred at the time, saying that she stood in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback had allegedly been censured by the league for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality. She said at the time:
“I couldn’t bring myself to do that. For what? Who wins from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be a facilitator. There are things within that organization that I don’t agree with. Everything , and I was not willing to go and be of any use to them in any way.
While Kaepernick has yet to find his way back, a lot has changed since then, as the NFL has embraced social justice causes, especially since the brutal murder of George Floyd.
That progress has also allowed Rihanna to change her tune and now she can flaunt her culture and roots on one of the greatest sporting stages of all.
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