Brent Staples compares the histories of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” composed by Francis Scott Key, who owned human beings, and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the popularity of the latter in the African American community reflecting “a quiet act of rebellion against the racist status quo.” To read the complete essay (New York Times, November 22, 2017), click here.
Colin Kaepernick and Legacy of the Negro National Anthem
by lindaoppenheim | Nov 22, 2017 | Opinion | 1 comment
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The professional football player Colin Kaepernick appealed to that same sense of injustice last year when he knelt during “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest police violence against African-Americans.
By doing so, he tapped into a feeling of alienation from the anthem in the black community that dates back to the days of racial terrorism and lynching in the South.
I wanted to emphases “feeling of alienation” from an American democracy available with invisible laws that oppress, discrimination, and marginalize…