روما بت
ماه بت
پین باهیس
بهترین سایت شرط بندی
بت کارت
یاس بت
یک بت
مگاپاری
اونجا بت
alvinbet.org
بت برو
بت فا
بت فوروارد
وان ایکس بت
1win giriş
بت وینر
بهترین سایت شرط بندی ایرانی
1xbet giriş
وان کیک بت
وین بت
ریتزو بت
1xbet-ir.com.co/
https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/paperiounblocked2?lang=EN https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/agariounblockedschool1?lang=EN https://yohoho-io.app/ https://2.yohoho-io.net/paper.io unblocked https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/yohoho-unblocked-76?lang=EN https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/agariounblockedpvp https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/yohoho?lang=EN
HomeNewsTaking on the national anthem, Jill Scott sings truth about U.S. racism

Taking on the national anthem, Jill Scott sings truth about U.S. racism

Published on

“Oh, say, can you see, by the blood in the streets, that this place doesn’t smile on you, colored child. Whose blood built this place with sweat and their hands. But you’ll die in this place and your memory erased. Oh say, does this truth hold any weight? This is not the land of the free but the home of the slave.”

Jill Scott sings national anthem, July 2, 2023.

These lyrics were sung to the melody of the “Star-Spangled Banner” (the U.S. national anthem) by the brilliant African American singer, Jill Scott, at the Essence Festival July 2 in New Orleans. The annual music festival, which takes place over the Fourth of July weekend, is one of the largest African American music events in the U.S. This year’s Festival attracted 500,000 people.

Scott’s anti-racist, anti-patriotic, powerful rendition is reminiscent of the year-long public protest that Colin Kaepernick, the former National Football League quarterback, conducted throughout the 2016 football season by taking a knee during the playing of the anthem to protest racial injustice.  

The police murders of Philando Castile in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, during the summer of 2016 happened just months before Kaepernick sparked this historic protest movement amongst athletes from all sports, professional and amateur.

During this same period of protests, Francis Scott Key, who wrote the text of the anthem in 1814, was exposed for being a slaveowner and for writing pro-slavery lyrics for the third verse of the anthem.  

Jill Scott’s rendition drew the ire of rightwing news pundits, with media like Fox News and the New York Post – along with rightwing politicians – accusing her of “shaming” and “trashing” the national anthem with her “alleged” racial injustice lyrics. They accused her of being hypocritical because of her financial success as an entertainer.

But many praised her rendition for telling the truth about the legacy of slavery that is alive and well throughout every aspect of today’s society.  

If she did not sing this version of the anthem at such a huge public event, it might have gone unnoticed, but she stated that she sang the anthem at previous lesser known events, having written these lyrics over 30 years ago in her hometown of Philadelphia before she burst onto the music scene. 

Jill Scott’s bold action must be defended because her lyrics express the class truth of the second-class, institutionalized status that still exists for Black people in the U.S. that can never be denied or silenced.   

Go to youtube.com/watch?v=B1tyFi-BTW0 to see Scott’s performance.

Latest articles

Israel presents Operation Rising Lion, by Gideon Sa’ar

Following Israel’s previous letters to the Security Council concerning the malign activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the outrageous letters of Iran dated 13 and 16 June 2025, Iran’s public threats to eliminate the State of Israel, in stark violation of the UN charter, and its continued attempts to achieve the means to accomplish…

PDF of July 3 issue

PDF of July 3 issue – Workers World Copyright © 2024 Workers.org

Flooding in West Virginia and China: a tale of two systems

Disastrous weather conditions brought on by the ongoing climate crisis are affecting people throughout the world. There have been wildfires, tornadoes, severe storms and mass flooding both in the U.S. and around the globe. Ambulance stuck in flood water in Welch, West Virginia, Feb. 16, 2025. (Credit: West Virginia Watch) West Virginia has experienced flooding…

Gaza Aid or Cover for War? US Mercenaries Accused of Firing on Civilians

A new investigation by the Associated Press has uncovered disturbing details about American military contractors operating in Gaza under the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.-based group tasked with distributing aid. Video footage and eyewitness testimony suggest these contractors—many of them former U.S. soldiers—have repeatedly opened fire on Palestinians seeking food, raising serious concerns about…

More like this

Israel presents Operation Rising Lion, by Gideon Sa’ar

Following Israel’s previous letters to the Security Council concerning the malign activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the outrageous letters of Iran dated 13 and 16 June 2025, Iran’s public threats to eliminate the State of Israel, in stark violation of the UN charter, and its continued attempts to achieve the means to accomplish…

PDF of July 3 issue

PDF of July 3 issue – Workers World Copyright © 2024 Workers.org

Flooding in West Virginia and China: a tale of two systems

Disastrous weather conditions brought on by the ongoing climate crisis are affecting people throughout the world. There have been wildfires, tornadoes, severe storms and mass flooding both in the U.S. and around the globe. Ambulance stuck in flood water in Welch, West Virginia, Feb. 16, 2025. (Credit: West Virginia Watch) West Virginia has experienced flooding…