Prince fans in Minnesota are trying to understand how Beyonce – a native of Texas – was given her own official day in their state before Prince, a Minnesota native who kept a home and business there until his death on April 21.
“You’re kidding, right? 4/21 is going to be declared Prince day, right? Because, you know, he’s FROM HERE!” one angry resident tweeted. The sentiment was shared by scores of people who took to social media and let Gov. Mark Dayton have it.
The official proclamation declaring May 23 as “Beyonce Day” noted the singer “has influenced many young girls women with powerful, positive messages in her songs.” The stunt was tied to Bey’s May 23 concert stop in Minneapolis.
Governor Dayton said: “Beginning her musical career as a member of Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé has since gone on to sell millions of records worldwide as a massively successful solo artist. She has taken home numerous awards, including the Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and NAACP Image Awards. Beyoncé has influenced many Minnesota girls and women with the powerful, positive messages in her music, and her impact and success have been widely-recognized. She was named the Top Female Artist of the 2000s by Billboard, and Artist of the Decade by The Guardian in 2009. Time Magazine recognized her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world for both 2013 and 2014, and she was named by Forbes Magazine as the one of the world’s 100 most powerful women in 2015.”
When local news station Fox 9 posted a copy of the decree on their Facebook page, Minnesotans scratched their heads.
“Seriously? A Beyoncé day? I am appalled and embarrassed. What about Prince? I think of anyone, he deserves a day in Minnesota,” someone wrote. “He’s done more for this state than any other musician.”
“I have never in my life been so embarrassed to be from Minnesota,” added another, whose comment drew nearly 5,000 “likes.”
Many brought up Beyonce’s Super Bowl 50 halftime show and her song “Formation,” believing they were both anti-police.
“Is this the same Beyonce that promoted violence against police during the Super Bowl Halftime? Is this the same Beyonce that is being blamed by sheriffs and police departments across the nation for attacks against police stemming from her ‘Formation’ video?” one user responded on Facebook. “Governor Dayton, I respectfully call for your to withdraw your proclamation honoring Beyonce like this. It is not in the states best interest.”
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(Photo Source: YouTube Screenshot, Beylite Instagram)
