Good grief!
After eight pages of this, my take away is that the the two major points of contention are, referring to this song/poem as the "black national anthem", and that it is going to be played along with the U. S. National Anthem.
Some see it as pandering to one minority and by doing so make it political and divisive. The statement by Professor Timothy Askew was shown in an earlier post and he thinks it is, and I agree.
The lyrics to the song, imho, are lovely and, this just my opinion, make a great hymn for church. As to what is appropriate at a nationally televised sporting event, I believe that any focusing on one group, racial, political, religion, etc, is not appropriate.
Having an opening prayer, for example, would be problematic since there are many different beliefs. Any faith or lack of could feel excluded and interpret it as blatant prejudice. How divisive!
Sporting events are for entertainment and, imho, not a proper or productive venue to express or engage in politics. Sports are and have been one of the venues that allow people of all backgrounds to come together and cheer together, eat and drink together and share in a common experience. Let's keep it that way for all our sakes, for to do otherwise will have a negative effect. There is enough negativity, and it needs to end.
Stay well. Stay safe. Peace!
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