“Did you know that our National Anthem celebrates the murder of black Americans?” they question.
As the fourth of July draws nearer, the question of independence plants itself on the horizon. Should black people celebrate a holiday that was never intended for them? How can one cheer on the birthday of a nation who enslaved, battered and bruised them, and how do these abuses continue to trend today?
Deputy Legal Director and the Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Jeffery Robinson hosted an interactive performance entitled “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” in partnership with groups including: Liberated People, Off Center Productions and the Culture Project. On June 19, performers used Robinson’s ideology to challenge the idea concepts behind the National Anthem and its connection to the deaths of black Americans by the hand of police officers across the U.S.
“Robinson challenges us to think about where we started as a country, where we are, and where we want to end up,” a representative of the Who We Are Project wrote. “His words lay bare an all-but-forgotten past, as well as our shared responsibility to create a better country in our lifetime.”
During the show, Robinson invited a chorus on stage and challenged the audience to truly listen to the words of the U.S. national anthem. With a projection of the flag in the background, the black chorus of four belted lyrics that illustrated disdain for their ancestors.
“No refuge could save the hireling and slave/ From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave/ And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave/ O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave,” the group sings.
The song details the downfall of black soldiers in America’s quest for freedom – most of whom joined for the sake of earning the freedom that was promised to them in return for their mortal sacrifices.
There can be no doubt of the origin of these words, Robinson challenges as he displays the handwritten note on which creator Francis Key Scott scribbled the lyrics.
“He is celebrating the murder of enslaved people,” Robinson told the crowd.
Watch the performance below:
