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.”
This will be the fifth consecutive Super Bowl to feature the song in the pre-game 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.”
There was a similar outcry last year when Audra Day performed the legendary song before the NFL’s ultimate game. This year, however, the controversy aligns with the first few weeks of Donald Trump’s return to the White House and him signing hundreds of executive orders, some of which aim to dismantle DEI in the federal government and beyond.
Still, having “Lift Every Voice and Sing” performed is not an indictment or remonstration on the league — or a political statement, Early said. “Feelings might be running a bit more strongly on this issue since Donald Trump won the election decisively and he has always been opposed to this sort of thing.”
James Weldon Johnson, a civil rights activist and NAACP leader, wrote it initially as a poem in 1900, and later collaborated with his younger brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, a musician, to transform it into a song now celebrated by Black people across the country.
Ken Knuckles, a music teacher for more than 25 years in Lithonia, Georgia, described it as a “powerful, inspirational song.” He said he has taught the song countless times to students as young as middle schoolers.
“And they sing it the way it’s supposed to be sung: with pride,” he said. “It’s the words. Words have power and this song is about achievement. The song means the world to people of color. It reflects how long we had to struggle to get where we are now. The song is inspiring and aspiration.”
During a news conference this week, Ledisi said she was honored to sing the song on Sunday.
“I feel like I’m in alignment with greatness to stand in this moment and sing that song,” said the Grammy-winning artist. “I’m used to this in my career, standing in moments, representing the past and the future and the current state of the world. I’m used to that pressure. I just remember who I’m doing it for. I remember my ancestors. I remember everyone waiting for this moment to feel hopeful and to feel represented.”
While the NFL has not indicated whether it will stop allowing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before the Super Bowl, the league has started expanding its endzone stencils, which began in 2020 with “End Racism” after protests sparked by the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
This year’s Super Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, touchdowns will be scored in front of the message, “Choose Love.” Early said this change may have political implications.
“The problem the NFL is facing is that once you begin to advertise socially conscious messages, you offend people who don’t want to be preached to while watching sports,” he added. “They go to sports to escape politics, not to get more of it.”
Trump, who will attend Sunday’s game, is pushing corporations to end DEI programs, with many conservatives backing his play. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week that DEI policies have improved the league and that the organization remains committed to it.
Early emphasized that Black players make up about 53% of the athletes in a league that was integrated in 1946.
A recent Associated Press survey of 65 Black NFL players indicated many are disappointed that 11 franchises have never hired a Black coach. And the concerns about the lack of Black coaches overall have existed for more than 40 years.
In 2016, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality of Black men and, with Trump leading the discourse against him, never played in the league again.
Early said people’s response to the Black national anthem is similar to criticism of Kaepernick a decade ago.
“Some who are opposed to ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ think of it as another protest or as a protest song and couple it with Kaepernick’s protest,” he said. They are, more than likely, “sick of protests associated with American sports and American entertainment generally.”
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