‘Activist And Journalist’: Let’s Replace National Anthem With ‘Imagine’ – By Hank Berrien (Dailywire) / June 25 2020
In an era in which some people are suggesting replacing “The Star Spangled Banner” because of its author’s history, a writer who is described as an “activist and journalist” by Yahoo News has his own choice as to which song should succeed America’s national anthem; John Lennon’s ode to vacuity, “Imagine.”
Kevin Powell, who has authored numerous books, produced programming for HBO and BET, and was a founding staff member of Vibe, says of “Imagine” that it is “the most beautiful, unifying, all-people, all-backgrounds-together kind of song you could have.” Of “The Star Spangled Banner,” he has a far different perspective as he uses the opportunity to bash President Trump, saying:
The Star-Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key, who was literally born into a wealthy, slave-holding family in Maryland. He was a very well-to-do lawyer in Washington, D.C., and eventually became very close to President Andrew Jackson, who was the Donald Trump of his time, which means that there was a lot of hate and violence and division.
Powell cites Key’s history:
At that time, there were attacks on Native Americans and Black folks — both free Black folks and folks who were slaves — and Francis Scott Key was very much a part of that. He was also the brother-in-law of someone who became a Supreme Court justice, Roger Taney, who also had a very hardcore policy around slavery. And so, all of that is problematic. And the fact that Key, when he was a lawyer, also prosecuted abolitionists, both white and Black folks who wanted slavery to end, says that this is someone who really did not believe in freedom for all people. And yet, we celebrate him with this national anthem, every time we sing it.
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