Beyoncé's new album "Cowboy Carter" aims to redefine and rebuild what country and Americana music means—and who gets to be included in those genres. The album’s cover is also a masterclass in layered meaning. From the bold red, white, and blue to that iconic white horse and her white cowboy hat, there's symbolism at every turn. "Beyoncé is very good at presenting herself as heroic,” Oberlin's own Africana Studies Chair, Professor Charles F. Peterson tells TODAY. “I think the white horse and the white hat do that very well.” Other insights from his interview include an analysis of Beyoncé’s use of the red, white and blue—including by holding an American flag. “Country music has been so successful the last few years of becoming the staging ground for a certain type of white grievance and conservatism in politics,” Dr. Peterson says. “I like that she’s saying, ‘You’re not the only people who can love this country in particular sort of ways.’ The love of the country is not limited to...