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The Daily Insight

“Racism alert”: Kari Lake black national anthem controversy explained amid rising backlash

Author

Emily Cortez

Published Feb 06, 2026

Kari Lake, a previous Arizona gubernatorial up-and-comer, as of late wound up in the center of a warmed web-based banter subsequent to declining to remain during the “Dark Public Hymn” at the Super Bowl 2023.

A photograph of the legislator sitting in the stands while Abbott Rudimentary star Sheryl Lee Ralph performed Lift Each Voice and Sing became a web sensation via virtual entertainment and ignited a craze among netizens.

The melody, composed by NAACP pioneer James Weldon Johnson in 1900 as a sonnet and later transformed into a psalm, has been played at the Super Bowl for three successive years and has kept on leaving Americans partitioned.

While certain individuals have hailed the melody as the “Dark Public Hymn,” others have reprimanded it, guaranteeing that it further advances the possibility of disruptiveness in America. Kari Lake’s reaction to the tune has provoked a comparable response.

While movie producer Matt Walsh named the presentation as “an unadulterated shame,” a political reporter gave a “bigotry alert” prior to sharing Lake’s response to the song of praise:

The “Dark Public Hymn,” Lift Each Voice and Sing, was supposedly played before The Star-Radiant Flag at the State Ranch Arena in Arizona in front of Sunday’s down at Super Bowl LVIII.

Netizens responds to Kari Lake sitting during Dark Public Hymn at Super BowlKari Lake's signal towards Dark Public Song of devotion left web partitioned (Picture by means of Getty Pictures)
A photograph of Kari Lake sitting during the “Dark Public Song of praise” Lift Each Voice and Sing at Super Bowl LVIII became a web sensation via online entertainment and ignited a warmed discussion.

The melody has frequently separated Americans, with some supporting the song of devotion being played during the Super Bowl and others protesting the thought. Lake’s photograph likewise prompted a quick reaction, for certain web-based entertainment clients getting down on the government official for declining to stand up during the song of devotion:

Previous Conservative California gubernatorial applicant Larry Senior likewise shared his help for Kari Lake while addressing Fox News Computerized. He said:

“I concur with Kari Lake. We have one public song of devotion, and it’s THE public hymn. I am rather than playing the two songs of devotion as I’m to the term ‘African – America’ and to Dark History Month.”
He further asserted that the tune advances the possibility of disruptiveness and said:

“These things are troublesome. They suggest blacks are some way or another different and aside from American history, custom and experience. It recommends proceeded with exploitation and abuse when antiblack prejudice in America has never been more irrelevant.”
Senior proceeded:

“Blacks battled and died in each American conflict, including the Progressive Conflict, wherein a person of color was the primary setback. We ARE American history.”
Previous NFL player and Conservative Utah Representative Burgess Owens likewise repeated a comparable opinion and shared:

“There is just a single public hymn… I won’t represent some other public hymn yet our Public Hymn, so I’m with Kari Lake. I won’t be essential for splitting our nation among Blacks and Whites. I won’t do that. I won’t be essential for it. The NFL has embarrassed themselves.” Burgess added that while Lift Each Voice and Sing is a “remarkable song,” it isn’t on a similar level as The Star-Radiant Pennant.

Consumer alert: @KariLake fund-raising off her 3rd consecutive defeat. Before you give, read the ruling. It’s not a close call. #RuleOfLaw

— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) February 17, 2023


Kari Lake tended to the debate encompassing her activity and told Fox News that she doesn’t incline toward the Dark Public Song of praise as the verses of The Star-Radiant Pennant “sound valid for each and every American resident, no matter what their skin tone”:

“I’m against a ‘Dark Public Hymn’ for a similar explanation I’m against a ‘White Public Hymn,’ a ‘gay Public Song of praise,’ a ‘straight Public Song of devotion,’ a ‘Jewish Public Song of devotion,’ a ‘Christian Public Song of praise, etc.” Talking about the distinctions between the two tunes, Lake told The Washington Inspector:

“We are ONE Country, under God. Francis Scott Watchwords sound accurate for each and every American Resident no matter what their skin tone. James Weldon Johnson’s ‘Lift Your Voice’ is a wonderful tune, however it isn’t our Public Song of devotion.” Before the Super Bowl, the Dark Public Hymn was played at the NFL in 2020 to call a finish to police ruthlessness in the midst of the pinnacle of the People of color Matter development.