theory about the star spangled banner song

But I have to believe that God has not brought us this far to abandon us now. This burden of fighting for basic humanity doesn’t make sense to me, not then and especially not now. I was taken into the back of the store and held until my mother could get off of work and pick me up.

Come to think of it, I was just an accomplice, but my white friend got a slap on the wrist and was allowed to walk home. I’ve never committed a crime unless you count shoplifting a tube of mascara from K-mart more than 40 years ago. Are we the only ones who care? Is it just us that feel each blow or bullet as though it was meant for any one of us? I find myself wondering if Black people are in this fight alone.

At best, it was a signal that justice is possible - with cameras, a crowd, and a group of witnesses who forced the jury first to see their humanity and not their skin color. But as many others have said, it wasn’t a moment of celebration. Sometimes, getting through the day is the difference between remembering that thought or forgetting it.įor me, the welcome relief of the Derek Chauvin verdict of guilty times three was significant. If I close my eyes and sit in silence, I can still hear my mother singing the song, and upon finishing it, saying over and again that God would not have brought us this far to abandon us now. The first stanza of the song went like this: “Lift every voice and singĪt the tender age of seven, I could not grasp the full meaning of the song or its significant themes of endurance, freedom, suffering and joy, or the homage it pays to my ancestors while also thanking God for having brought us this far. Not the national anthem that most people think of, but rather the Black National Anthem, “ Lift Every Voice and Sing.” We were taught that song well before The Star-Spangled Banner. When I was in elementary school in Oakland, California, one of my fondest memories was that every morning at the start of class we all recited the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by singing the national anthem.

Theory about the star spangled banner song