Musician Jennifer Lopez spoke out about the kids in cages part of her Super Bowl LIV halftime show.
Lopez shared a video of herself and excited young dancers before they took the stage to her Instagram on Monday.
“These moments were captured just minutes before we hit the stage last night,” Lopez captioned a backstage video. (RELATED: Jennifer Lopez, Shakira Perform In Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show)
“All I want my girls, the little girls on stage with me and all over the world to know is how to use their voices and be proud of everything they are,” she continued. “Other people can try to build walls, keep us out or put us in cages. We are proud to recognize that all of us together are what makes this beautiful country truly great.”
Lopez referred to the moment her 11-year-old daughter Emme performed “Let’s Get Loud” while sitting in a cage. Emme was surrounded by other young dancers enclosed in cages.
US singer Jennifer Lopez(R) and her daughter Emme Muniz (frontL) perform during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on February 2, 2020. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Emme also sang “Born In The USA,” while Lopez debuted a feather Puerto Rican flag.
“I don’t think we were trying to be heavy-handed with anything,” choreographer Tabitha Dumo told BuzzFeed News about the messaging shown in the performance. “I think we were just celebrating all that is beautiful about this country — Puerto Rico being part of this country.”