we already have a national anthem

if the blacks don't like it, they can get the fuck out of this country and start their own somewhere and pick whatever they want for an anthem

enough of this bullshit

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
good for them. everyone has a right to be proud of who/where/what they come from. black people in America, in a very general sense, are a result of many brave and noble people who fought against injustice. if this song honors those people, then play it loud.

that said, I don't think I know the song and I'd venture to guess most in attendance at the games do not either.

I learned of this song in my church back in the 1980s; it was referred to as "The Black National Anthem" even then. It is a good song, and I have no issues with its message (even though I'm not Black). Here is a link that includes the text, music, and a (poor) recording: https://hymnary.org/text/lift_every_voice_and_sing. More of its history can be found by doing a web search on the title. FWIW, I do not support using it to supplant our official National Anthem in any way. It is found in our UMC Hymnal (and many others). It is appropriate for Black History Month.

Yellowjacket, I think you'd find that every Black person in this country knows the song.

flashguy

I personally don't give a crap what music they play during timeouts and on-court highlights. If I'm stupid enough to be at a NBA game, this song is certainly preferable over rap crap.

Where is the country of Negro?

I guess I feel bad they think they need their own anthem. Even describing them as 'they' makes them a subset which indicates divided or segregated. I kind of hoped the population of this nation could unite under a set of true principles regardless of history and race. Seems like 'United States' is aspirational. It's not a criticism. If I had been told what they have been and by whom, I'd be bitter/resentful too. It just seems like a missed opportunity and unfulfilled potential all the way around.

df, I agree with you. The song developed out of the Civil Rights movement many years ago and its importance to that segment of the population has remained valid. I also think we need to remind ourselves that there are very powerful agencies and persons doing their best to promote and sustain the divisions in our Society--were they not there I think we'd have come together much more and more quickly.

flashguy

This says something about the NBA's demographics.

quote:

Originally posted by KenS:
When I saw the thread title, my first thought was the Hendrix version of the Star Spangled Banner. Which would be okay with me.

Ken

I’d go with a James Brown track. Personally he was a drug user and wife beater (he did grow up in a whorehouse, so bad childhood), but musically he was a fucking genius and the GOAT to me.

I am getting sick of this shit and the race baiting. I love black people, their contributions in many facets but we should celebrate and integrate, not separate or divide. It’s getting old.

I would declared BS.
I don't care if the want to play a song that honors Black folks in history, but it is not a "National Anthem". We already have a National Anthem of all Americans.

quote:

I love black people, their contributions in many facets but we should celebrate and integrate, not separate or divide. It’s getting old.

Thing is, most of them (or at least all I've known beyond passing) are not bitter agitators in the same way most of us are not skin head neo-Nazi agitators. If we could just muzzle the agitators, we could all move into being a united population.