It became informally known as the Black National Anthem over time and was regularly sung at civil rights meetings and marches. It was claimed by the NAACP as its official song in 1919, the year before Johnson become the organization’s executive secretary. Originally written as a poem celebrating the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, it soon was set to music by James’ brother. It was written during a tumultuous time for African Americans, when the opening decades of the 20th century were marked by a revival of the KKK, lynchings and the passage of Jim Crow laws codifying segregation across the country. “ Lift Every Voice and Sing” was written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900. “The two songs evoke strikingly different moods and modes of being American: one rooted in the struggle for freedom for all, the other in the American expansion into lands held by others.”Īt the heart of the conflict is this juxtaposition, which played out on one of the nation’s largest cultural stages. The two songs evoke strikingly different moods and modes of being American: one rooted in the struggle for freedom for all, the other in the American expansion into lands held by others. And again in 2021, the NFL announced that, in conjunction with its efforts to combat racial injustice, it would play the song at all “tentpole” events, such as playoff games. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the league directed the song be played before every game on Opening Day. Playing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which has become associated with the Civil Rights movement, before some games has been part of that effort. The NFL has tried to address these concerns in ways big and small. As Rubin notes in her column, over the last few years, the NFL has made efforts to be more openly supportive of racial equality and justice, especially given its own prior missteps in this area. Sunday’s performance was not something new for the NFL. The most interesting question for me, as someone who studies religion, culture and politics, was this: How does the setting of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” alongside “The Star-Spangled Banner” change the performance of what it means to be an American?įirst, some context. But the Super Bowl is a major cultural event, and as I reflected on my conversation with Rubin, I realized examining this conflict more deeply would be fruitful. It is easy to dismiss these antics - a fully in-character straining duet - with an eye roll. But we could have gone without the rest of the wokeness.” Greene tweeted: “Chris Stapleton just sang the most beautiful national anthem at the Super Bowl.Why is the NFL trying to divide us by playing multiple!? Do football, not wokeness.” Boebert tweeted: “America only has ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM. If you didn’t catch it, I invite you to watch it here.įollowing the performances, a predictable duo took to social media to accuse the NFL of trying to divide the country: It was performed just prior to the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Grammy award winner and country music star Chris Stapleton. If you didn’t tune in to Sunday’s Super Bowl early (or at all), you missed a moving performance of the song by Tony and Emmy award winner Sheryl Lee Ralph. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to a pre-Super Bowl performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song informally known for more than a century as the Black National Anthem. I had an interesting conversation yesterday with the Washington Post ’s Jennifer Rubin about the breathless objections by Rep.
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