By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. Artist Tahj “Queen Tahj” Williams will bring Black New Orleans culture to the largest stage in American sports at the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, with a logo and theme art that celebrate heritage and history.
The logo and theme art were inspired by the Black Masking tradition created by Black Americans who were barred from mainstream Mardi Gras celebrations for over a century.
Queen Tahj preserves that tradition by crafting Black Masking suits and made that handiwork the centerpiece of her dazzling logo and theme art that blends bright red, green and yellow colors with a beadwork pattern.
“African-American people, Black people, Black natives were never allowed to participate in the mainstream Mardi Gras that happened on St. Charles,” Williams told Reuters.
“So we hit on the back streets and had our own kind of celebration. And that’s what you still see today. We still practice that today, along with a lot of other traditions here in the city.”
Black Masking will be prominently featured in New Orleans next week and at the Super Bowl.
Williams’ designs will be on digital game tickets and the official program cover, and on grand display on the exterior of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, the NFL said.
“I don’t really think it has set in fully yet,” said Williams. “I wanted the rest of the world to see what I saw when I saw this culture for the first time here in New Orleans.”
Williams, a lifelong football fan for the New Orleans Saints, broke barriers as the only girl and captain of her middle school football team.
She will be part of the week-long Super Bowl celebration, attending the NFL title game for the first time.
“I’m going to pretty much be at everything around the city, whether I’m directly involved in it or not,” she said. “I try to do my best to show up for the city and this culture.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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