Local artist Ledisi will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at this year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, marking the fifth consecutive year the song has been featured in the National Football League championship game. Recognized as the Black national anthem, the song has been a source of controversy and boycott threats from some conservative figures since its introduction by the league in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Originally penned as a poem in 1900 by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was later set to music and became a defining anthem during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. It was sung at rallies and protests as a call for justice and equality, with lyrics urging perseverance until victory is achieved.
Ledisi’s performance will take place before the 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 GMT) kickoff, preceding “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which will be performed by Jon Batiste, and “America the Beautiful,” to be sung by Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle. The inclusion of the anthem has sparked social media backlash, with critics labeling it divisive and calling for a boycott of the game. While public figures such as Kari Lake, Megyn Kelly, and Matt Gaetz have condemned the performance in previous years, no major names have spoken out against it this year.
Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr., president of the Hip Hop Caucus, condemned the boycott efforts, calling them “disturbing, disrespectful, and distasteful,” emphasizing that the song remains relevant in the fight for racial equality. The performance also coincides with scrutiny over the NFL’s social justice initiatives, which began in 2020 with a $250-million commitment over a decade to address racial injustice. This week, the league replaced the “End Racism” slogan in the end zones at the Super Bowl with “Choose Love,” drawing criticism from some who viewed the change as a retreat from its previous stance.
The event is also set to welcome former President Donald Trump, who has rolled back several diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that NFL players had supported, including efforts to address racial inequality within the league. The ongoing conversation surrounding racial justice in the NFL can be traced back to former quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision in 2016 to kneel during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice. His demonstration inspired a broader movement and led to Nike featuring him in a prominent ad campaign in 2018. Since becoming a free agent after the 2016 season, Kaepernick has not returned to professional football.
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