The NFL announced plans to perform or play the black national anthem, before games during the beginning of this year's season, ESPN reports. 'Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing,' traditionally referred to as the black national anthem, will be performed before 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' during the season opener on September 10, when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans. The NFL, in collaboration with the NFL Players Association, is also considering featuring names of victims who suffered police brutality on uniforms, helmets or patches on jerseys. Written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' is often referred to as the 'Black National Anthem.' In 2016, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, along with other NFL players, began kneeling during the national anthem to raise awareness of racial injustices.

Source: The Nation July 16, 2021 02:03 UTC