In the weeks following the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, one of the ways that New Yorkers tried to get back to life as usual was to turn to baseball. It was a time of outward displays of patriotism remembered by national audiences for George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch during the World Series. For Yankees fans, it was also the start of a tradition of playing “God Bless America” during games, usually the iconic version sung by Kate Smith.

But this season the Yankees have stopped playing Kate Smith after they found out that back in the 1930s she recorded two songs with racist lyrics. One of the songs, “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” was written as a satire of racism, and also recorded by black civil rights activist Paul Robeson. The other song, “Pickaninny Heaven,” was featured in a 1933 movie.