Anyone talking about that lady that sang the Natl. Anthem and the Black Natl. Anthem? (Denver: condo, racist)

[DenverLawGal]

It was all over the news this morning and the loudest complainer of all is Charlie Brown, city councilman (yep, that's his real name lol). He thinks it's going to be a national story and will make Denver look bad, I think no one really cares. What do YOU think?

[tfox]

I don't think it's a story that's going to go too far. Of course, the usual right-wing talking heads are playing it up, trying to tie the story to Obama since the DNC will be here.

Anyway, at worst what the singer did may have been inconsiderate to her hosts, but it's still a free country and she still has her first amendment right to free speech. I doubt she'll sing the national anthem next year though.

[DenverLawGal]

well, I guess usually the Douglas county councilman's wife usually sings it, but this time they interviewed a few people and asked her. She volunteered, it was informal, no contract or anything like that, and she didn't get compensated for it. I think the crummy thing is that she didn't bother to tell the Mayor that she was going to do it, just laid it out there.

Charlie Brown is going way over the top with it. It's kind of funny.

And yeah, I've heard the gamut of theories, she's racist, she's doing it to bring attention to herself, she's doing it to hopefully get in to sing the anthem during the DNC.

[enigmakairos]

Since I'm not there yet, can someone clue me in on what happened? Is it that she sung the Black Natl Anthem instead of the Natl Anthem?

If that's the case, while I don't condone the action, it seems like it would be pretty darned funny.

[DenverLawGal]

I heard a snippet, it sounded pretty -eh.

So the mayor held the annual state of the city speech. They chose this woman to do the natl. anthem. Instead, she morphed the anthem with the black natl. anthem. It did sound weird. And people in the audience looked unsure. They just didn't know what was going on.

So this city councilman is really outraged about it. He's making a huge deal. I guess the mayor called the woman later that day and asked, hmm, what was that about? She apologized for not making him aware of what she planned on singing. I mean, yeah, if someone asks you to sing the natl. anthem, then um wouldn't you be singing the anthem?

The clencher is that she was interviewed later and refused to make any apologies. So she's going to make one over the phone w/ the mayor but not on tv.

As usual, lots of people are bringing the race issue in question. And citizens of the U.S. wonder why race is such an issue. It's hard to get away from it when it's constantly the topic of discussion.

I wonder if she's embarrassed or this is what she wanted, attention.

[suzco]

Originally Posted by enigmakairos

Since I'm not there yet, can someone clue me in on what happened? Is it that she sung the Black Natl Anthem instead of the Natl Anthem?

If that's the case, while I don't condone the action, it seems like it would be pretty darned funny.

Here's a link to a Denver Post article with what sounds like a factual report about it. "Black national anthem" causes stir at Hick speech. If you google "Denver black national anthem sung" or something similar, you can find commentaries and opinions with all sorts of spin on the story.

[enigmakairos]

Originally Posted by suzco

Here's a link to a Denver Post article with what sounds like a factual report about it.

Ahhhh. Many thanks. And yeah, I probably would have had a laugh-riot if I was there. But I also don't take things like that very seriously. File alongside the whole "dude, I could care less if Christina Aguilera cradles her infant in the American flag" controversy.

[DenverLawGal]

I guess there isn't much news going on locally, so they had to have something to gawk about. Thanks for the link Suzco.

Just looked at the pic, noticed that only one guy is shown placing his hand across his heart.

Also, the news this morning on Fox misreported the fact that she only sang the black natl. anthem, and did not incorporate the natl. anthem as I stated earlier. No wonder people were confused. They were clearly expecting the natl. anthem and probably had no idea what she was singing.

[denverian]

Big deal. Here are the lyrics and I find nothing wrong with them:

[SIZE=2]Lift ev'ry voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring.
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise,
High as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast'ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee,
Shadowed beneath thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.[/SIZE]

[downtownnola]

I would have loved to seen the looks on everyone's faces in that room when she did that!

In all seriousness, it wasn't perhaps the most professional thing for her to do, but like others have mentioned, she's using her right of free speech. I don't think it's that big of a deal- it's just one of those things that kinda make you scratch your head and smile.