Rene Marie Sings 'Black National Anthem' to a Stunned Denver City Council
Denver State of the City Address Off Key
Mayor Hickenlooper is quoted by FoxNews as being disappointed. At issue of course is not the fact that a local jazz legend who has been a Colorado resident for nary three years opted to sing the Black National Anthem, but instead that it was substituted for the anthem of the United States of America.
The Black National Anthem, in the past referred to as the Negro National Hymn, has a long and rich history that began in 1900 when it was performed as an ode in honor of Abraham Lincoln. From there it became a staple of hymns sung during the heyday of the Civil Rights Movement and also would become a commonly heard song that was performed after the Star Spangled Banner.
In recent years the Black National Anthem has been heard less, even though it had a brief revival in the 1990s. Rene Marie is reported by the Rocky Mountain News to have apologized to the Denver Mayor although she does not regret her action and believes it is her right as an artist to express herself as she sees fit. According the Denver paper her intent was to mingle the lyrics of the Black National Anthem with the melody of the Star Spangled Banner in an artistic attempt at showcasing unity.
It is interesting to note that Ms. Marie withheld her choice of song from Michael Hancock, the Denver City Council President who also acted as the master of ceremonies. From his quotes it is clear that he does not object to the singing of the Black National Anthem but to the subterfuge that prevented him from putting it on the program in addition to the Star Spangled Banner. Mr. Hancock felt that Ms. Marie's failure to offer the City Council and the Mayor the possibility of choosing to have the anthem sung was inappropriate.
Reactions are mixed; there are those who hail Rene Marie for being the new poster child for civil disobedience while others vilify her as an inappropriate hack who sought to further her career and political point of view by disrespecting the City Council publically. Others feel that in light of a raging war and soaring gas prices, they really don't care about what song is sung at an address that next to nobody pays attention to.
Sources:
http://www.renemarie.com/
http://www.black-network.com/anthem.htm
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375164,00.html
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/01/singing-black-national-anthem-hits-sour-note/
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14 Comments
Post a CommentI think she got caught up in the moment of Obama's campaign success, which i can understand. She may have done it to bring attention to herself. In any case, if you hire someone for a job you expect them to do the job. What she did was unprofessional. It's one thing to bend the rules in order to make a point, but what was her point? Frankly i am disappointed in her. I appreciate her talent as a jazz singer but this was unprofessional, a little immature.
I posted this comment on a few articles about this...however now that i understand she sang the words ontop of the melody for the National anthem i have to add: ...sorry but just as a lover of jazz how on earth would you make that work. This was a self indulgent act of an artist/ I have learned over the years not to get close to jazz artist as people because they are human...and some are wired as Marines....have you eve met a crazy ass Marine??? Then you know what i am talking about. Let Jazz singers sing and let the Ma
Interesting point, Carmen. You don't think she brought negative publicity on herself by going behind the backs of those who hired her? Or do you believe that any criticism of Ms. Marie is automatically racist? I wish you would expand on your comment a bit.
99% of black people know the name of the sonag and the words and everything. I dont think there was anything wrong with her singing it. the negative publicity that she is getting for it jus fuels racisim
Charlie Brown the Denver city councilman said it all; "There is no substitute for the national anthem. Period,"
Great read!!
This is just sad. If she had sang an Islamic anthem, would people then see the wrong in it? I agree with an above statement that said that this kind of behavior fuels the fire of racism. Had she disclosed the fact that she wished to sing it in addition to the national anthem, I'm sure the mayor and master of ceremonies would have been fine with it. Because she chose not to, she hijacked the ceremony for her own agenda. Racism in America will die when people of all races stop acting a certain color and start acting American!
The negative reaction showcases the racism of this country. Most Americans don't even know what the Star Spangled Banner means. If asked to explain the lyrics, most Americans would only reveal their ignorance. We are a stupid people.
Rene Marie if she was hired to sing. Shouldn't even get paid. Send her to court. Have her pay the city for damages.
Exactly, she should have been escorted out immediately by Security Guards. Next time something like this happens. Escort them out all the way out of the building into their car.
It is people like this that let certain things get to their head. This is outrageous. The National Anthem is the original keep it like so. It is these people who can angry alot of people and the Presidential Election could actually take a different turn. Anyways Obama is multicultural not Black completely.