Lift Every Voice And Sing vs the song of those who would take over our democracy
The danger to our democracy was crystal clear a few days ago as the former president held a rally in Waco, Texas, where in 1993 a 51-day government siege of the headquarters of a religious cult gave birth to the modern anti-government militia movement. Since then, Waco has been a touchstone for violent attacks on the government. There, several nights ago, the former president stood at this inauspicious place with his hand over his heart while loudspeakers played not the national anthem but a song recorded by now imprisoned January 6 insurrectionists while footage from the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol played on a screen behind him.
But also on display was the contrast between the hullabaloo created by Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert when Sheryl Lee Ralph sang Lift Every Voice at the recent Superbowl game and her wordless acceptance of the song composed by those who would take over the government sung at the rally. If you are curious what the difference could be, here are two visuals that may help shed some light. Think of them as Black and White photographs.
At the Superbowl, Congresswoman Boebert was once again using the age-old boogeyman of race to stir and foment discontent and widen our destructive American divide. It’s not patriotism on her part. It’s merely performance politics – a style of politics that the country would be better off and less divided if it were simply ignored. What would our country be like if we simply got over our race thing? What would politicians and radio talk show host use for a wedge? How much quieter and more peaceful and more prosperous would we all be? Let’s pay attention to and support our serious politicians of both parties who put our country ahead of their party and their antics and who do not use race to divide and conquer.
Lift Every Voice and Sing:
"Lift Every Voice and Sing" is a hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson. Written from the context of African Americans in the late 19th century, the hymn is a prayer of thanksgiving as well as a prayer for faithfulness and freedom, with imagery that evokes the biblical Exodus from slavery to the freedom of the "promised land."
After its first recitation in 1900, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was communally sung within Black American communities, while the NAACP began to promote the hymn as a "Negro national anthem" in 1917. It has been featured in 42 different Christian hymnals, and it has also been performed by various African American singers and musicians. Its prominence has increased since 2020 following the George Floyd protests; in 2021, Jim Clyburn sponsored a bill proposing that "Lift Every Voice and Sing" be designated as the "national hymn" of the United States.[1]
The song of the insurrectionists:
The song consists of the former president reciting the Pledge of Allegiance of the United States interspersed with the “J6 Prison Choir “ singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" with an ambient backing track. The song finishes with the choir chanting "U-S-A!" three times. The Pledge of Allegiance portion was recorded at Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago, while the choir's singing was recorded through a prison phone.[2]
[1] Wikipedia
[2] Wikipedia