From the time I was in elementary school we were forced to recite the pledge every morning to show our respect and patriotism for the country because it was “the land of liberty and freedom”. However they never taught us the deeper meaning behind it and why it doesn’t apply to everyone. It wasn’t until I attended middle school that I learned about the history of “Lift Every Voice And Sing” aka the “Black National Anthem”. The idea that we have to show homage to the country and the anthem was instilled in us at a young age without any context. However the anthem is representative of old America and the history of it.  My overall opinion has change from then as I learned about the history of the anthem and since then I haven’t stood for the anthem. Once you learn about the history behind it and see certain things continue to this day its almost impossible to listen to the song and receive it the same.

Within the article there is a line that states “that sentiment was not a reality for black folks living in a town with Jim Crow laws, where the flag often hung from buildings they could not enter. It was not a reality for black soldiers (among them my own father) returning The action alone contradicts to the meaning of the anthem and the flag. Black people can’t resonate with the meaning because it never applied to them. Throughout the history black people have experienced the opposite of the anthem hence why many people refuse to stand for the national anthem. In contrary “Lift Every Voice And Sing” does show and represent the struggles of black people from slavery to segregation and even after as well as their ability to overcome.Additionally  there is emphasis on creating unity and actual liberty for everyone.

Many black artist from the past often write music about the struggles of being black because it’s one of the few ways to get people of different demographics.  At some point or another people are gonna hear the song and will hear about the messages in the song. The more recent examples from popular artist such as Jay z, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, etc are listened to, by people around the world and aren’t solely made for black people. The songs were made to voice the issues that they have and to give the people without a voice representation. An example of this is Jay Z’s “99 Problems” where he addresses issues such as racial discrimination from police as well as problems faced amongst his community.