“America only has one National Anthem,” was a popular cry online following Super Bowl LVII.
Sheryl Lee Ralph sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing” via NFL YouTube
That’s the vitriol being expressed by many on the conservative right on social media following the performance of what is often referred to as the “Black National Anthem.”
African-American actress Sheryl Lee Ralph sang the song on Super Sunday and received a mostly warm reception from the crowd on hand.
This was the third time the song has been performed at the Super Bowl despite the fact that many NFL fans are divided on whether or not the league should even make it a part of the presentation. Nevertheless, the show would go on in 2023, with Ralph taking the microphone.
Before the Philadelphia Eagles took on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, the usual fare would also take place. 10-time Academy of Country Music award-winner Chris Stapleton sang the National Anthem, and 12-time Grammy Award winner Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds sang “America the Beautiful.”
But it was Ralph’s rendition of the song ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ that drew the most online attention. It is a hymn written by James Weldon Johnson. It’s often referred to as the ‘Black National Anthem’ and was prominently used as a rallying cry during the American Civil Rights Movement.
Philadelphia Eagles players raise fists via NFL YouTube
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Ralph’s delivery of the song was certainly rousing, but it wasn’t met with unanimous love and support by the entire audience. The performance was seen on some political fronts as divisive and focusing on race, instead of football.
The reaction to the Black National Anthem was not only swift, it was also highly emotional. And even more so this year than in years past, it invoked a lot of the political tropes that we have seen over the past decade from both sides of the political spectrum.
Bottom line: Progressives see this as a positive, while conservatives view it as a negative.
The dividing line is almost as simple as blue and red. Or in this case… black and white, unfortunately.
Everyone from politicians to actors to activists seemed to have something to say. Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate and staunch Donald Trump supporter Kari Lake went viral when a photo of her sitting during the song started making the rounds on social media.
Ben Owen Twitter
Lake explained her decision to Fox News, “I’m against a ‘black National Anthem’ for the same reason I am against a ‘white National Anthem,’ a ‘gay National Anthem,’ a ‘straight National Anthem,’ a ‘Christian National Anthem,’ and so on.”
“We are ONE NATION, under God. Francis Scott Key’s words ring true for every single American Citizen regardless of their skin color,” Lake added.
“James Weldon Johnson’s ‘Lift Your Voice’ is a beautiful song, but it is not our National Anthem,” she asserted.
Kari Lake speaking with attendees at a “Unite & Win Rally” at Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert wrote on Twitter, “America only has ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Why is the NFL trying to divide us by playing multiple!? Do football, not wokeness.”
Lauren Boebert Twitter
Commentator Shawn Farash tweeted, “THERE IS ONLY ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Anyone who believes that black people have their own “NATIONAL ANTHEM” while the REST of America has the Star Spangled Banner is a SEGREGATIONIST!”
THERE IS ONLY ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Anyone who believes that black people have their own “NATIONAL ANTHEM” while the REST of America has the Star Spangled Banner is a SEGREGATIONIST!
Catch #UNGOVERNED on LFA TV EVERY M-F from 10am – 11am EASTERN!#LFATV #UNGOVERNED #LOUDMAJORITY… https://t.co/5iDxHaXuuH pic.twitter.com/T8hmH18T0g
— Shawn Farash ❌🐻 (@Shawn_Farash) February 13, 2023
James Bradley also wrote, “Someone needs to tell the NFL that America has only ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM, not one for each race.”
James Bradley Twitter
Despite the backlash, the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have made no indications that they will discontinue this practice. So look for more controversy around this same time next year, when the song plays again.