Super Bowl Decision On 'Black National Anthem' Revealed
LAS VEGAS - Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys were a central part of the national anthem debate a few seasons ago when some NFL players wished to utilize that moment to protest social injustices.
On Sunday here at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas as the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers play for the Lombardi Trophy comes a "new tradition,'' there will multiple national anthem performances at Allegiant Stadium.
Reba McEntire, the "Queen of Country," will be performing the "Star Spangled Banner." And Cowboys fan Post Malone will sing "America the Beautiful.'' But in addition to those pregame performances, Andra Day will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is known as "the Black national anthem.''
The song, written over 100 years ago by James Weldon Johnson and has become a staple at the Super Bowl in recent years.
"At the turn of the 20th century, Johnson's lyrics eloquently captured the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans," the NAACP said. "Set against the religious invocation of God and the promise of freedom, the song was later adopted by NAACP and prominently used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s."
Kickoff at Super Bowl here in Las Vegas is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT, as CBS will have the broadcast of the game, with Jim Nantz and former Cowboys star Tony Romo on the call.
