Although many Super Bowl viewers were divided on whether Reba’s version of the national anthem was flawless or needed improvement, many online users felt the same way about Andra Day’s rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is also referred to as the Black national song.
Super Bowl pregame ceremonies have included the Black national anthem for four consecutive years.
This very young song documents “the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans.” It first appeared in the year 1900.
It was “prominently used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s” that the NAACP’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” came to be.
.@AndraDayMusic performs Lift Every Voice and Sing before #SBLVIII! pic.twitter.com/gNRZ9XyibV
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2024
The internet was awash with comments on Day’s performance in the days preceding up to it, but the ones made after she delivered her rendition were far more numerous and critical.
It’s not possible to have a Black national anthem, according to Republican congressman Mike Loychik’s post on X. All Americans are bound together by the magnificent Star Spangled Banner. It is the hope of many that the Super Bowl will unite us.Once again, the NFL’s decision to promote racial division through politics is shameful.
Super Bowl halftime does not call for the so-called Black National Anthem. We have a national anthem that everyone can sing along to. A tweet from Megyn Kelly.
I didn’t learn in school that the national anthem should be played differently for white and black people. It was supposedly for all Americans, as we were informed. The point of a black national anthem is not to unite Black Americans but to drive a wedge between them. We should all begin to act like we’re Americans now, regardless of our color,” someone else said.
A few even made remarks about how unenthusiastic the audience was.
Whether you agree or disagree, I think Andra Day was fantastic.