The Philadelphia 76ers apologized to singer Sevyn Streeter after they cancelled her performance of the national anthem because she was wearing a “We Matter” shirt.
The 30-year-old R&B singer immediately posted a video on her Instagram and Twitter accounts explaining the incident, which went viral on social media. The organization held a lengthy meeting with its players on Thursday to discuss the incident.
“We are sorry that this happened. After receiving feedback from our players, basketball operations staff and ownership group, we believe the wrong decision was made, and Sevyn should have been welcomed to sing,” the team said in a Friday statement.
“We apologize to her, and in an effort to move the conversation forward, we have reached out to offer her an opportunity to return and perform at a game of her choice. We are waiting to hear back.”
Was suppose to sing the anthem at @sixers & @okcthunder game but mins b4 @sixers said I couldn’t because I was wearing a “We Matter” jersey pic.twitter.com/wjoJN3rq0r
— Sevyn (@sevyn) October 27, 2016
Streeter told the Associated Press on Wednesday that she was never given any kind of dress code and that “two minutes before we were about to walk out … the organization told me that I could not wear my shirt while singing the national anthem at their game.”
The national anthem has been a focal point in the sports world in recent months. It began with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand for the national them to protest police brutality against minorities.
