Denver Singer's Black National Anthem Switcheroo Was a Risky Act for Obama, and Black Americans

Heaven only knows what black Denver singer Rose Marie was thinking when she stood at the microphone and belted out the lyrics of the black national anthem instead of the agreed on Star Spangled Banner. The event was Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's annual state of the city address and confab. Marie was engaged at no pay to sing the customary opening Star Spangled Banner. The black national anthem penned by civil rights legend and songwriter James Weldon Johnson a century ago is a beautiful, lilting, and powerful expression of black pride and dignity. It has been a virtual staple at any and every kind of black gathering down through the years. And that's where it's appropriate to sing it. The Denver Mayor's event wasn't.

Marie's tortured explanation for switching songs is take your pick: it was a matter of artistic expression, her way of showing her pride in being black, a veiled protest against racial mistreatment and discrimination, and her personal statement against the alleged racial hypocrisy of America. Her explanations are facile and self-serving and just about everyone with an opinion on the issue appropriately blasted her and demanded a formal apology which she hasn't as yet given. She should apologize publicly, and do it now.

Her ill-timed, totally inappropriate act has been fodder for speculation that it could have a possible backdoor blowback on Obama. Obama immediately rapped Marie for her wrong headed switcheroo, and said that there's only one national anthem. Obama had to move fast and knock the singer's act. The Democratic convention will be in Denver in August and Obama can ill-afford to have even the slightest hint that he approves anything that could be construed as an act that disrespects America's number one, time tested emblematic expression of American patriotism, especially from a black singer. And even more especially given that Colorado with a Democratic controlled legislature, and rising numbers of younger voters and Hispanic voters could be ripe for the picking from the GOP orbit in the fall.

The bigger reason is that Obama more than any other presidential candidate in recent times is hyper sensitive to the patriotism issue. Republican rival John McCain has been scrupulously careful not to stoke any doubt about Obama's patriotism. But others have. Conservative websites, chat rooms, and some writers have feasted off impugning Obama's patriotism. They have slandered and ridiculed his name; dumped on his wife Michelle for her off the cuff, repeatedly clarified in context, comment about her lack of pride in America, and the one time absence of an American flag from the lapel in his suits.

This line of attack can't be easily shrugged off as a below-the-belt slug by fringe ultra conservatives or professional political hit specialists. Despite his recent slog to the center, even right on some positions, Obama is still widely regarded by moderates and conservatives as a liberal Democrat. As failed liberal Democratic presidential contenders from Michael Dukakis to John Kerry have found out the hard and painful way, they are subject to ruthless, and sustained attack for being too liberal, and allegedly too willing to waffle and compromise on everything from crime and punishment to military preparedness, and especially national security. This always loosely translates out to doubt about the fervor of a liberal Democrat's patriotism. A prime McCain campaign attack point against Obama is that he can't be trusted to be the tough guy against foreign enemies and threats.

Conservatives have long since seized the high ground on the issue of what is or isn't true patriotism and cast themselves as the protectors and defenders of the flag, the national anthem, and their read and interpretation of American traditions against the liberal defilers.

Obama has one more albatross that white liberal Democratic presidential contenders didn't have. He's African-American. There's the inherent suspicion among some that African-Americans are eternal rebels, and chronic social malcontents who undermine conventional American values and traditions. It's a short step from that false and bigoted notion to see blacks as less patriotic than white Americans.

Unfortunately this ridiculous tar of Obama as somehow less of a true patriot because of who he is and what his votes and stances on the issues have been is not just a taint him in the minds of some. Those same minds tar blacks with the same, broad unpatriotic brush. Marie was probably oblivious to the implications of her rash act. In a follow up remarks, she blithely blew it off as simply being a risky artistic act. It was much more than that. It was a risky act for Obama and African-Americans.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House (Middle Passage Press, February 2008).

Comments

[pottery]

Some people will not get past the notion that an African American president will put all AAs under a microscope and on trial. Anyone who will look at this incident as a protest by the fifth column will not vote for Obama under any circumstances.

And, maybe it's an "anthem" that doesn't belong strictly behind closed doors any longer, Earl. If it ever did, mind you.

Still, if I pay a singer to sing a song, that's the song I want to hear sung.

[4qbud]

Nothing but a plan to gather free publicity.
No one would have heard her outside of Denver and no one would care if she did it on or off key The only reason we know her name now is because she insulted her listening audience and the National Anthem itself with a substitute of her own choosing.

At least she picked a "nice" poem. If she had been a wiccan and chose a pagan type poem I wonder what people would be saying?

It's just a Woman trying desperately to get her name and picture in the Papers and and on Television.

or should we say BACK on Television!

You would think she would have been satisfied with the notoriety she received from her part on the Dick VanDyke Show back in the 1960's, but nooooo. or her part in the song that goes, Smile a little smile for me, Rose Marie.

Anyway she should have left her political and/or social conscience where it belonged that day. At her home or in her head.

It was in just as much poor taste as was Rose-ann Barrs rendition. It wasn't the place to make such a joke for Roseann. In Rose M's case it was simply insulting to both songs and to the audience.

Prima-donnas! I can't stand em... Screw your head back on right Rose Marie. Just sing the darned song. You can throw a party and sing whatever you like on your dime!

[blaqntelligence]

Earl your article disgusted me, as usual.
This time I wanted to see if my opinion was an aberration­......It's not.
I find it telling that any and every time you reference Black, it must be suppressed, oppressed, or otherwise not displayed in "polite" (read Whtie) company.
While I respect your right to an opinion, your obsequiousness if a tad offputting.

[nopartygal]

So, by this token, if this had been a white singer singing some "inappropriate" or "unpatriotic" song at a public event - say, Imagine by John Lennon - then McCain or any other white politician would be expected to quickly jump in and "rap" the culprit, in order to make it clear that he/she is "distancing" him/herself from such goings-on. This is illogical and impractical on sooooo many levels, there isn't time or space enough here to list them all.

This is exactly what the "failed" liberal candidates did wrong: They went on the defensive, instead of shrugging off the nonsense and maintaining the offensive.

In sum: What Marie did wrong was between her and the people who engaged her to perform a specific function at a specific event, which she failed to do. This problem is one that has occurred between Marie and the people who hired her. It is not Obama's place to comment on the occurrence at all. Just because she is black and he is black does not link them inexorably in perpetuity any more than any white person's actions or dogma are linked to John McCain's just by virtue of being white. If this were so, where would you draw the line for comments and apologies?

Time to get over it and realize that Obama is a contender for president - not a black contender for president.

[OliverTwist]

"This always loosely translates out to doubt about the fervor of a liberal Democrat's patriotism."

There is no logical or emotional rational for this sentence.

The fact is that a liberal Democrat or any Democrat for that matter can actually be killed in combat and win a Navy Cross or Meda of Honor and the mainstream press will stand aside for any slander against their patriotism or service that a Republican chooses to deliver and may very well pile on themselves.

That is what needs to be addressed.

[tompaineaz]

Barack is not African-American, he is mixed race.

[SpoxLogic]

I guess we should start holding McCai nresponsible for every bone-headed thing a white person does or says from now, right?

This is the usual subtle racism raising it's ugly head. It treating all blacks as if they all belong to one monlith. Or that one Black person speaks for ALL black people.

Utterly disgusting.

[blog4um]

She was not asked "Rose Marie, please sing a song for us, use your own artistic expression in choosing the song."
She was asked to sing a SPECIFIC song.
Very immature of an "artist."

[patmancando]

And actually it was a 'dumb' thing to do when there are a lot of racists in this country looking for a reason not to support an AA candidate. What was she thinking?

[nopartygal]

What are *you* thinking? How is Barack Obama responsible for Rose Marie's actions? And why would he (or she, for that matter) want to pander to those racists you allude to? And, finally, do you really think that racists in this country (or the next) need an excuse like this in order to not vote for Obama? Do you think for a moment that a racist would actually vote for Obama at all?

Get off the fear wagon and claim your rights, people! Stop letting the wrong people dictate your thoughts and actions. Stand up for what is right and dismiss all else for the nonsense that it is. It is not right to bow to, or fear, people who would tell you that a politician is responsible for an unrelated person's actions, simply by virtue of the color of his skin.

Obama lessened himself by addressing this issue at all. Pity. I thought he was wiser.

[Jude2004]

Although I live in Colorado, so this singer was on every TV channel, I didn't bother listening to her sing. As soon as I heard she substituted the lyrics for Lift Every Voice and Sing, my reaction was "James Weldon Johnson?" Then who cares? He's one of my heroes. From the little I heard, she at least sang in tune, so what difference does it make if she changed the words? I suppose that I am a national anthem purist, so what really bugs me are the singers who put silly stylistic flourishes in when they sing it--or singers who sing off key. Changing the words is about the same to me as singing it poorly.

[BigBen]

Fascinating; in the Primaries every move possible to gain the black support was lauded. Now having won the nomination black voters please move to the back of the bus.Talk about the new politics.What a fraud.

[BigBen]

"Obama has one more albatross that white liberal Democratic presidential contenders didn't have. " Now being black is an albatross. And you said Bill was racist.Give me a break.

[silverball]

i couldn't agree more....it's time for ALL of us to turn off our egos and unite with a common purpose....pretty short sighted to not be able to see...and understand....the much larger "picture" in play here.... hate to sound corny, but it's that ol' sport cliche..."there is no "I" in TEAM.....

[boing007]

"The black national anthem penned by civil rights legend and songwriter James Weldon Johnson a century ago is a beautiful, lilting, and powerful expression of black pride and dignity. It has been a virtual staple at any and every kind of black gathering down through the years. And that's where it's appropriate to sing it."

Only to be sung in front of a black gathering? Sounds Politically Correct to me.

[kainen]

earl, you really need to get over this notion that obama is responsible for the actions of any african american deemed controversial.

[S1m0n]

Hear hear!

WTF is with that?

[blaqntelligence]

Whan a Black person is embarrassed by White reaction to Black culture, it's very easy to project that sense of embarrassment and shame onto another.

[ann1]

HOGWASH!