NFL slammed for including ‘Lift Every Voice And Sing’ for third time in a row at Super Bowl

News that the ‘black national anthem’ will be sung during the Super Bowl for the third time in a row has caused outrage on social media.  

Sheryl Lee Ralph, the star of the comedy series ‘Abbott Elementary,’ announced on Sunday that she would be singing ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ during the Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The song became an unofficial ‘black national anthem’ when it was adopted by the NAACP in 1917.

Its use is controversial and has been criticized for being divisive and failing to unify the country, as a national anthem should.

Others argue that its performance is a positive gesture that addresses the suffering of black Americans making it a step towards healing racial division.

Sheryl Lee Ralph (pictured), the star of the comedy series ‘Abbott Elementary,’ announced on Sunday that she would be singing ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ during the Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert said on Twitter: ‘America only has ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM’

On social media reactions to the news the the anthem would be sung for the third year in a row at the Super Bowl were mixed. Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert said on Twitter: ‘America only has ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM.’

The song was originally a poem written by James Weldon Johnson, a former NAACP leader. Its lyrics describe the struggles and aspirations of black Americans at the turn of the 20th century.