Posted on 03/09/2009 8:28:45 AM PDT by stan_sipple
A Lakeview Elementary parent is upset the audience of a school program on Martin Luther King Jr. was asked to stand for a song known as the black national anthem.
Two teachers performed the song, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” — known to some as the “Black National Anthem” — as part of a 15-minute program during Black History Month.
Russ Roberts, who has a first-grade daughter and fourth-grade son at Lakeview, said he was shocked when the audience was asked to stand for the song after it was identified as the “Black National Anthem.”
He said he doesn’t object to the song, but the way it was presented gave the mistaken impression to students that there are two national anthems.
“I don’t like how it was presented to parents and students,” he said.
“I looked all over the map of the world and couldn’t find a country called black.”
King stood for desegregation, and having the audience stand for a “Black National Anthem” promotes segregation and leads to polarization and bias, he said. And it confused his children, he said.
In a letter responding to his concerns, Principal Sudie Bock said the teachers intended to show respect for the historical journey and contributions of African Americans in United States history.
“It was never intended to suggest or replace our country’s national anthem,” she wrote.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is taught to students as part of the fourth-grade curriculum, Bock said.
She also said she would make sure teachers clarify to students that it is the only national anthem, and to clarify the historical purpose of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.”
Roberts said he enjoyed the rest of the program but worries that trying to explain to students about the song will further confuse them.
The song was originally a poem written by James Weldon Johnson and first performed as part of a celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday in 1900.
Johnson’s brother set it to music in 1905 and the NAACP adopted it as the Negro National Anthem in 1919. It has remained an expression of the black American experience.
The song sparked controversy last summer, when a singer asked to perform the national anthem before the Denver mayor’s state of the city address replaced the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” with “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.”
The song is sung in many settings, including at churches and the city’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast.
The Rev. Joseph Lowery quoted from the song during the closing prayer at President Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony, as did the Rev. Sharon Watkins when she preached at the National Prayer Service the day after his inauguration.
Thomas Christie, LPS multicultural school/community administrator, said if Roberts’ children were confused, he has a valid point, which teachers are addressing.
The teachers’ intentions were good, Christie said, and the song’s historical context is important.
“The benefit is that it’s part of history, it’s part of kids knowing that at one time things were separate in this country and they’re not now.”
Bess Scott, LPS director of elementary education, said Lakeview teachers were trying to help students understand that struggle, which is admirable.
The program was the culmination of learning more about African Americans who have contributed to society, culture and the strength of the nation, she said.
“We do that every day in our curriculum,” she said. “We want our kids to see themselves and how we work together.”
I am a daughter of the Union Side, but there is a moving rendition of Dixie on Youtube: Dixie(Instrumental) by Mark Easley/goldhat.net/Just Asking - seoul62......
How about GET OUT AND FIGHT BLACK AND TANS!
Polish, Irish, whatever...we honkeys all look alike to them, anyway! :-)
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