Episode 68: Black Women and the National Anthem: Thoughts from Super Bowl LV
Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.
In this episode, we discuss the backlash that Black women tend to receive after singing the National Anthem. In spite of their brilliant performances, Jazmine Sullivan and H.E.R. received mixed reviews for their respective performances of the National Anthem and “America the Beautiful” during Super Bowl LV. Indeed, there was still a segment of social media that criticized them for “not singing the songs the way they were written” even though all performers work to put their stamp on these songs during such large performances. We talk about how social media has emboldened racists, but we also give historical examples to show that this phenomenon is not new. In addition, we discuss Trump’s impeachment, the next stimulus check, and vaccine distribution as well as other Super Bowl Performances.
Resources:
Betancourt, Bianca. Jazmine Sullivan Paid Tribute to Whitney Houston During Her Super Bowl National Anthem Rehearsals. Vanity Fair. February 8, 2021.
Burke, Timothy. When Aretha Franklin’s ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ Drew a Torrent of Racial Abuse. Daily Beast. August 17, 2018.
Emma, Caitlin and Ferris, Sarah. Second police officer died by suicide following Capitol attack. Politico. January 27, 2021.
Foran, Clare and Wilson, Kristin. GOP Rep. Ron Wright dies following Covid diagnosis. CNN. February 8, 2021.
Goel, Vritti Rashi. The Weeknd's Super Bowl halftime performance sparked lots of memes. CBS News. February 7, 2021.
Orr, Gabby and McGraw, Meredith. Trump was quite displeased with his impeachment defense team. Politico. February 9, 2021.
Parker, Lyndsey. Passionate performances by Jazmine Sullivan, Eric Church, H.E.R., Amanda Gorman set hopeful, inclusive tone for Super Bowl Sunday. Yahoo. February 7, 2021.
