Before Sunday night’s Super Bowl LVIII showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, the NFL had a few pregame performances, including Reba McEntire singing The Star-Spangled Banner and Post Malone singing America The Beautiful. But the performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing seems to have upset one conservative political commentator.
Before the game, Grammy-winning vocalist Andra Day performed Lift Every Voice and Sing, which has become known as “The Black National Anthem.” Political commentator Megyn Kelly was not happy about the move from the NFL to perform the song ahead of the game.
“The so-called Black National Anthem does not belong at the Super Bowl. We already have a National Anthem and it includes EVERYONE,” Kelly said in a post on X.
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 (@megynkelly) February 11, 2024
Lift Every Voice and Sing is a song written in 1900 that is included in 42 different Christian hymnals. The song makes an allusion to the biblical Exodus from slavery to the freedom of the “promised land” and has become an important part of Black culture, especially after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
However, it’s pretty clear that Kelly does not think the NFL should have allowed this song to be performed before the Super Bowl.
