Support from the Latinx community came out full force when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, two iconic Latina artists, took the stage at the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show. Their performances expressed their pride in the Latinx community and masterfully reflected the Latinx culture in the United States. 

It was a historic moment as Shakira and Jennifer Lopez joined the small list of Latinx musical artists that have performed since the implementation of the Super Bowl in 1967. Not only that, but this opportunity was taken as a way to subtly point out the horrors and unjust treatment the Latinx community has faced. The political statements made were demonstrated through the presence of the Puerto Rican flag and the use of cages during the performance. 

During Lopez’s set, she brought out a large Puerto Rican flag that also had the American flag on the backside. Following the disastrous Hurricane Maria in 2017, the Puerto Rican flag has been in Latinx communities a physical representation of resilience, hope and solidarity among the Puerto Rican community and the people that helped during their time of need. 

The flag brought to light the lack of U.S. support Puerto Rico received following the devastating hurricane. Despite it being a U.S. territory, the overall indifference towards the island was apparent. 

The symbolic gesture that appeared during the show continued with children that sat inside lit up cages and wore the American flag embellished on their clothing. This was meant to represent the separation of Latinx families at the U.S.-Mexico border and the unjust treatment of children that are being forced to spend their days in cages. 

Lopez also relayed a more subtle message that Puerto Ricans belong among Americans. She, along with her daughter, sang Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” and her own hit, “Let’s Get Loud.” The choice of using these songs was strategic because she put the point across that Puerto Ricans are American and U.S. citizens by birth. 

The performance had a tasteful mix of cultures that weren’t just Latin based. Shakira danced the mapalé which is a Colombian dance but with African roots. The dance honored Spanish and African roots during her performance of “Hips Don’t Lie.” Shakira also made sure to include her Lebanese roots through belly dancing which is a large part of the culture and performed from childhood to adulthood. 

Shakira beautifully brought out different cultures during her performance and Lopez added to the power of the show with the subtle political statements to represent the Latinx community. The halftime show was a truly powerful and lively performance that garnered a great deal of attention, and rightfully so.

It had also featured well-known Latino artists Bad Bunny and J Balvin. The four artists took social media by storm to the point where the performance was trending over the actual Super Bowl itself. 

The phrase “Latino Gang” came up multiple times during the show and transferred onto social media where thousands of Latinos began to express their pride in the dynamic performance and the immense representation it meant for the Latinx community and the unfair treatment they have been met with.