Super Bowl anthem: Why some are lashing out at 'Lift Every Voice and Sing,' the Black national anthem
The Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has sparked social media-fueled backlash in the lead-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans.
More than a century after the NAACP adopted “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as the “Black national anthem,” the song has sparked social media-fueled backlash in the lead-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Rep. Lauren Boebert said on X that there’s “ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM.” Another critic called the song, which speaks to resiliency and the prospect of better days for an oppressed people, a “Black supremacy” song. Still another called it “racist and divisive.” Some Black conservatives have also said the song should not be performed at the game, calling it “a desperate Hail Mary to exploitation” and that it “foments racial divides and animosity.”
Follow along for live coverage
This will be the fifth consecutive Super Bowl to feature the song in the pregame ceremony, each time seeming to draw disagreement about whether it is appropriate. This year, its performance by Ledisi comes amid increasing rejections of antiracism messaging and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in many facets of American life, from sports to corporate boardrooms to the federal government.
“The performance of the song should be framed to the public not as a protest song but as a song of Black affirmation, perseverance and inspiration,” said Gerald Early, the pop culture essayist who teaches in the African and African American studies department of Washington University in St. Louis. “It is unfortunate that the song’s performance has become a culture war issue.”
Rating: 5