- Sep 24, 2022
- 586
- 150
- 57
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Widowed
I’d like to discuss the accusations that have been made over the past couple of years about the US national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner. The woke mob claim the song is racist towards African Americans. And yes, I am aware that Francis Scott Key was a racist.
What I find absurd about this claim, is that I feel in a way, African Americans own this song. This is because whenever I think back about the greatest performances of our national anthem, the only performances I can think of were ones done by African American people. This is my list of the greatest performances of our national anthem:
1) Whitney Houston. How can any American forget her incredible performance at Super Bowl XXV. I can’t even remember the teams that played in the game. All I can remember is her incredible performance.
2) I was only two years old for this next one, but I have seen it in film. I am talking about the legendary Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969. Being a guitarist myself, I can’t even express what that performance does to me whenever I hear it!
3) I can vividly remember Marvin Gaye do a very original performance at NBA All-Star game in 1983. Again, I can’t even remember anything about the game. All I can remember is his incredible performance.
And it’s not just the Star-Spangled Banner. What about “America the Beautiful.” I can only think of Ray Charles at the Sugar Ray Leonard v. Roberto Duran fight.
Like most people, I can’t remember most of my life experiences, yet these performances remain unforgettable!
Furthermore, I’d like to point out that these musical artists were not just great African Americans. They were Great Americans, “PERIOD”! And these performances of our national anthem made me feel truly proud to be an American, and proud of them as Americans.
What I find absurd about this claim, is that I feel in a way, African Americans own this song. This is because whenever I think back about the greatest performances of our national anthem, the only performances I can think of were ones done by African American people. This is my list of the greatest performances of our national anthem:
1) Whitney Houston. How can any American forget her incredible performance at Super Bowl XXV. I can’t even remember the teams that played in the game. All I can remember is her incredible performance.
2) I was only two years old for this next one, but I have seen it in film. I am talking about the legendary Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969. Being a guitarist myself, I can’t even express what that performance does to me whenever I hear it!
3) I can vividly remember Marvin Gaye do a very original performance at NBA All-Star game in 1983. Again, I can’t even remember anything about the game. All I can remember is his incredible performance.
And it’s not just the Star-Spangled Banner. What about “America the Beautiful.” I can only think of Ray Charles at the Sugar Ray Leonard v. Roberto Duran fight.
Like most people, I can’t remember most of my life experiences, yet these performances remain unforgettable!
Furthermore, I’d like to point out that these musical artists were not just great African Americans. They were Great Americans, “PERIOD”! And these performances of our national anthem made me feel truly proud to be an American, and proud of them as Americans.