While many Super Bowl fans were left split on whether Reba’s rendition of the national anthem was the best ever or could have used some work, numerous netizens shared the same opinion about Andra Day’s performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem.
For the fourth time the Black national anthem has had a place in the Super Bowl pregame festivities.
The song, which has only been around since 1900, captures “the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans.”
“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which was adopted by the NAACP was “prominently used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.”
.@AndraDayMusic performs Lift Every Voice and Sing before #SBLVIII! pic.twitter.com/gNRZ9XyibV
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2024
While comments regarding Day’s performance littered the internet in the days leading up to her performance, they paled in comparison to those made after Day sang her rendition.
“There’s no such thing as a black national anthem,” Rep. Mike Loychik, a Republican lawmaker, wrote on X. “We are all AMERICANS, united by our great and beautiful Star Spangled Banner. The Super Bowl is supposed to bring us together. “It’s a disgrace that the NFL decided to push the politics of racial division again.”
“The so-called Black National Anthem does not belong at the Super Bowl. We already have a National Anthem and it includes EVERYONE.” Megyn Kelly tweeted.
“Growing up I wasn’t taught that the National Anthem was for white or black people. We were taught that it was for all Americans. A black national anthem isn’t meant to give black Americans a voice, it’s meant to cause more division. We are all American regardless of race and it’s time we start acting like it,” another person wrote.
Some people even commented on the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm.
