The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times
AD
The Epoch Times
Support Us
SHARE
SportsNFL

NFL Announces ‘Black National Anthem’ Will Be Performed at Super Bowl

A song dubbed the ‘Black National Anthem’ will be performed at this year’s Super Bowl pre-game show, the NFL said, drawing mixed reactions.
Copy
Facebook
X
Truth
Gettr
LinkedIn
Telegram
Email
Save
NFL Announces ‘Black National Anthem’ Will Be Performed at Super Bowl
Andra Day performs onstage during the 2024 Beloved Community Awards, in Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 13, 2024. Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Tom Ozimek
By Tom Ozimek
1/19/2024Updated: 1/22/2024
0:00

The NFL has announced that the pregame entertainment for Super Bowl LVIII will include the performance of a song known colloquially as the “Black National Anthem,” drawing mixed reactions and stirring debate on social media and beyond.

Grammy-winning R&B singer Andra Day will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” unofficially known as the “Black National Anthem,” ahead of the Super Bowl game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 11, the NFL said in a Jan. 18 announcement.

The song, written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, served as a rallying cry for black Americans during the civil rights era.

Ms. Day took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post her reaction to the NFL’s announcement.

“Peace & Blessings!!! Performing the Anthem at the SuperBowl yall! Grateful! Thank You God,” she wrote.

While Ms. Day’s reaction to the NFL’s announcement was understandably positive, reactions on X to the NFL’s post were mixed.

Reactions

Some reactions online to news that Ms. Day would be singing the “Black National Anthem” at the Super Bowl were positive, with some people praising the lineup.
Related Stories
Philadelphia Eagles Star Jason Kelce Addresses NFL Retirement Rumors
1/18/2024
Philadelphia Eagles Star Jason Kelce Addresses NFL Retirement Rumors
Former NFL Linebacker Ronald Powell Dies at 32, NFL Association Says
1/16/2024
Former NFL Linebacker Ronald Powell Dies at 32, NFL Association Says

“That’s a good lineup! Love it,” one user commented in a post on X.

Country music legend Reba McEntire will perform the national anthem at the pre-game show, while musician Post Malone will deliver a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”

There were plenty of negative reactions to the NFL’s decision to include “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the pre-game show, however.

Some people suggested it sows division because there already is a national anthem for everyone.

“No need for a separate national anthem for the black community,” one user wrote. “Don’t need a ‘black’ national anthem and an ‘everyone else’ national anthem. Our national anthem is called that for a reason—it’s for all Americans.”

Another user said they found “Lift Every Voice and Sing” a “beautiful song” but added they would rather have no anthem at all performed at the Super Bowl “than two divided on race.”

More Details

For her part, Ms. McEntire said she was honored to be picked to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“I’m honored to be part of something as big and historic as the Super Bowl coming to Las Vegas for the first time,” Ms. McEntire said in a press statement.

“2024 marks 50 years since I was discovered singing the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate that anniversary,” she added.

Emmy-winning musical director and producer Adam Blackstone will produce and arrange both “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Meanwhile, at last year’s Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, the performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” stirred controversy both online and off, with then-Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake making headlines by refusing to stand during the performance.
Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake speaks to supporters during her election night event at The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Nov. 8, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake speaks to supporters during her election night event at The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Nov. 8, 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Photos posted on social media showed Ms. Lake remaining seated for the “Black National Anthem” at last year’s game.

Her campaign’s X account, Kari Lake War Room, explained in a post: “Our girl is against the idea of a ‘black National Anthem’ for the same reason she’s against a ‘white National Anthem,’” namely that “she subscribes to the idea of ‘one Nation, under God.’”

Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the 2023 Super Bowl game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

Ms. Ralph’s rendition was the first performance of the song live on-field during the Super Bowl.

Sheryl Lee Ralph performs "Lift Every Voice and Sing" before the 2023 Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 12, 2023. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Sheryl Lee Ralph performs "Lift Every Voice and Sing" before the 2023 Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 12, 2023. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

At the time, Ms. Ralph told ET that she was thrilled to be picked to sing the song, saying that it sent a political message.

“I thought what a wonderful honor it is for me to be here singing this song inside the arena with the NFL, making a huge gesture for diversity, inclusion, and the end of so many of these isms that people want to keep alive to divide us,” she told the media outlet.

Then, as now, there were mixed reactions to the NFL’s decision to include the song in the lineup.

Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
twitter
Author’s Selected Articles

CIA Says Winning Tech War With China Top Priority, Citing ‘Existential Threat’ to US

May 22, 2025
CIA Says Winning Tech War With China Top Priority, Citing ‘Existential Threat’ to US

CIA Reports Shooting Outside Its Headquarters in Virginia

May 22, 2025
CIA Reports Shooting Outside Its Headquarters in Virginia

Americans to See Net Gains Under GOP Budget Bill but Deficit Would Rise by $3.8 Trillion: CBO

May 21, 2025
Americans to See Net Gains Under GOP Budget Bill but Deficit Would Rise by $3.8 Trillion: CBO

90 Percent of US Companies Plan to Reshore Amid Tariffs, Allianz Survey Finds

May 21, 2025
90 Percent of US Companies Plan to Reshore Amid Tariffs, Allianz Survey Finds
Related Topics
Super Bowl
Black national anthem
Andra Day
Save
The Epoch Times
Copyright © 2000 - 2025 The Epoch Times Association Inc. All Rights Reserved.