Sheryl Lee Ralph
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The Black National Anthem, also widely known as “Lift Every Voice & Sing,” was performed expertly by Sheryl Lee Ralph ahead of Super Bowl LVII. Because Black people can’t have nice things, powerful conservative figures and others from the GOP side of the aisle complained on social media about the emotionally stirring moment.
The Black National Anthem was performed for the third year in a row ahead of the NFL’s biggest game on Feb. 12, with Ralph, a notable singer along as an award-winning actress, taking on the classic with ease. Shortly after her performance, Trump muppets and salty conservatives revved up the complaint train and accused the Super Bowl of wokeness, which we know is code for “it’s getting too Black in here.”
Ralph was rightly proud of her moment and shared the news via social media, which sparked the angry pitchfork mob to stir up some unnecessary mess and tried to take shots while using tired tropes of evoking the name of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
One Twitter user, who won’t dignify with posting their username, had the nerve to write to Ralph, “No disrespect to anyone, but MLK didn’t call for a separate anthem, did he? He didn’t call for segregated dorms and black-only graduations, did he? He called for unity, as I recall. I prefer his “content of their character” prescription over divisive “separate but equal” anthems.”
Yep. It was like that.
Just for context, we’ll share some of the other loser comments from the butt-hurt clowns who claim to be patriots and champions of fairness while taking down the big bad of “wokeness” from their cushy seats.
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Photo: Getty
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Veteran actress & Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph dazzled fans as she sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to open Super Bowl LVII held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona Sunday (Feb. 12)
The musical component of Super Bowl LVII, began after Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was honored with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his community service. The stage was set for the Emmy Award-winning actress, who was bedecked in a striking floor-length red gown/pantsuit as she began to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the hymn written first by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. The song is now regarded as the Black National Anthem and has been a key tune of the civil rights movement in the nation.
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Ralph highlighted the significance of her performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in a tweet hours earlier. “It is no coincidence that I will be singing the Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing at the Super Bowl on the same date it was first publicly performed 123 years ago,” she wrote, with a video showing her entering the arena sporting a Savage X Fenty hat as an ode to Rihanna, who was the Apple Music Halftime Show performer.
The former Broadway star showed off her chops, singing the opening lines in a rich and somber cadence. As she continued, the chorus from the background singers all dressed in white added to her stately vocals, which closed in a triumphant tone with the final lines of the song. “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,” she sang. “Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Let us march on till victory is won.”
Her performance marks another high note in her career to date. Ralph recently won an Emmy Award for her role as sage teacher Barbara Howard in the hit ABC comedy series Abbott Elementary. She also recently released a Christmas album entitled Sleigh last year. Ralph’s husband, Pennsylvania Senator Vincent Hughes, expressed his praise in a tweet after the game ended with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Philadelphia Eagles.
“The @eagles may have come up short in a valiant effort tonight but @thesherylralph certainly was a winner at the @AZSuperBowl,” he wrote. She responded, “Thank you baby!” and shared it with her followers.
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Photo: Getty
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