Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) criticized the NFL for its inclusion of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on Super Bowl Sunday, arguing there’s no need for the song often referred to as the “black national anthem.”
“The so-called Black National Anthem does not belong at the Super Bowl. We already have a National Anthem and it includes EVERYONE,” Kelly wrote on X, which prompted many replies in disagreement.
Gaetz went a step further, posting a conversation he ostensibly had with his wife.
“Wife: Today is the Super Bowl! Me: We aren’t watching. Wife: Why? Me: They’re desecrating America’s National Anthem by playing something called the ‘Black National Anthem.’ Wife: Does that mean Cardi is performing?” the Florida Republican wrote, to which many users replied in anger, one of whom was a U.S. congressman himself.
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“The Black National Anthem — ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ — has been a part of our Nation’s history since the early 20th century,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) replied. “The erasure of African American history as American history is a form of racism that runs deep on the far right.”
Grammy-winner Andra Day sang the song, which traces back to 1900, before the game. The national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and “America the Beautiful” were also performed.
