“Racism alert”: Kari Lake black national anthem controversy explained amid rising backlash 

Kari Lake, a former Arizona gubernatorial candidate, recently found herself in the middle of a heated online debate after refusing to stand during the “Black National Anthem” at the Super Bowl 2023.

A photo of the politician sitting in the stands while Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph performed Lift Every Voice and Sing went viral on social media and sparked a frenzy among netizens.

The song, written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900 as a poem and later turned into a hymn, has been played at the Super Bowl for three consecutive years and has continued to leave Americans divided.

While some people have hailed the song as the “Black National Anthem,” others have criticized it, claiming that it further promotes the idea of divisiveness in America. Kari Lake’s response to the song has prompted a similar reaction.

While filmmaker Matt Walsh dubbed the performance as “an utter disgrace," a political commentator gave a “racism alert” before sharing Lake’s reaction to the anthem:

Twitter Comment (1/1) (Image via Twitter)

The “Black National Anthem,” Lift Every Voice and Sing, was reportedly played prior to The Star-Spangled Banner at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona ahead of Sunday’s game at Super Bowl LVIII.

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Netizens reacts to Kari Lake sitting during Black National Anthem at Super Bowl

Kari Lake's gesture towards Black National Anthem left internet divided (Image via Getty Images)

A photo of Kari Lake sitting during the “Black National Anthem” Lift Every Voice and Sing at Super Bowl LVIII went viral on social media and sparked a heated debate.

The song has often divided Americans, with some supporting the anthem being played during the Super Bowl and others objecting to the idea. Lake’s photo also led to an immediate backlash, with some social media users calling out the politician for refusing to stand up during the anthem:

However, several people also came to Lake’s support and sided with her decision to remain seated during the performance:

Former Republican California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder also shared his support for Kari Lake while speaking to Fox News Digital. He said:

“I agree with Kari Lake. We have one national anthem, and it's THE national anthem. I am as opposed to playing both anthems as I am to the term ‘African – America’ and to Black History Month.”

He further alleged that the song promotes the idea of divisiveness and said:

“These things are divisive. They imply blacks are somehow separate and apart from American history, tradition and experience. It suggests continued victimization and oppression when antiblack racism in America has never been more insignificant.”

Elder continued:

“Blacks fought and died in every American war, including the Revolutionary War, in which a black man was the first casualty. We ARE American history.”

Former NFL player and Republican Utah Congressman Burgess Owens also echoed a similar sentiment and shared:

“There is only one national anthem... I will not stand for any other national anthem but our National Anthem, so I'm with Kari Lake. I will not be part of dividing our country between Blacks and Whites. I will not do that. I will not be part of it. The NFL has ashamed themselves.”

Burgess added that while Lift Every Voice and Sing is a “remarkable hymn,” it is not on the same level as The Star-Spangled Banner.

Kari Lake addressed the controversy surrounding her action and told Fox News that she does not favour the Black National Anthem as the lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner “ring true for every single American citizen, regardless of their skin color”:

“I'm against a 'Black National Anthem' for the same reason I am against a 'White National Anthem,' a 'gay National Anthem,' a 'straight National Anthem,' a 'Jewish National Anthem,' a 'Christian National Anthem,' and so on."

Speaking about the differences between the two songs, Lake told The Washington Examiner:

“We are ONE NATION, under God. Francis Scott Key's words ring true for every single American Citizen regardless of their skin color. James Weldon Johnson's 'Lift Your Voice' is a beautiful song, but it is not our National Anthem.”

Prior to the Super Bowl, the Black National Anthem was played at the NFL in 2020 to call an end to police brutality amid the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement.