Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland decided to insert a little Black history into their Halloween.
The former Destiny’s Child members posted pictures of themselves in costume with their husbands. The Carters dressed up as track and field stars Florence Joyner and Tommie Smith.
FloJo broke the world record for the 100-meter in 1988 when she finished in 10.49 minutes at the Olympic trials, according to The New York Times. She still holds that record.
Joyner was known for her flamboyant custom outfits and iconic long acrylic fingernails. She retired after the 1988 Olympics. FloJo died of an epileptic seizure in 1998.
September 21, 1998 — Olympic Gold Medalist Florence Griffith Joyner passed away on this day at age 38. pic.twitter.com/osJ950sIaf
— MoorInfo (@MoorInformation) September 21, 2018
Smith and fellow runner John Carlos paved the way for activist-athletes like Colin Kaepernick during the 1968 Olympic Games. The pair threw up the Black Power fist when the national anthem played during the during the medal ceremony.
“It was my cry for freedom,” Smith told NBC Sports in early October. “The racist tendencies of America had to be shown in some fact. And this was the athletes’ platform to show the need to continue.”
Smith and Carlos experienced fierce backlash for their actions.
“The boos were about as profound as the silence was when we raised our fists and bowed our heads in prayer,” Smith recalled.
Kelly Rowland and husband Tim Weatherspoon also evoked Black Power for their costumes.
Weatherspoon dressed as Huey Newton, while Rowland’s outfit gave us Angela Davis tease.
We have two evils to fight, capitalism and racism. We must destroy both racism and capitalism ~ Huey P. Newtown pic.twitter.com/D3buSqMq4G
— Kunta ♊ Mphahlele ???????? (@Cano_wane) May 11, 2017
Rowland doesn’t shy away from her Blackness. Last Wednesday, a few internet trolls accused the “Motivation” singer of bleaching her skin, and she was not here for it, according to People Magazine. In a now-deleted Instagram post, she let them know she was proud of her complexion.
“Don’t go saying stupid stuff like that,” she said. “You ever thought that it could be the lighting? I am still chocolate, forever chocolate, proud to be chocolate, shoutout to all my chocolate girls.”
Liking this content? Check these out:
