Coming to NFL Games: the Black National Anthem

'Lift Every Voice and Sing' will be performed before 'Star-Spangled Banner' during Week 1
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 3, 2020 3:00 AM CDT
NFL Will Add the Black National Anthem, at Least for a Week
San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Eli Harold, left, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, center, and safety Eric Reid kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016.   (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

The NFL isn't dropping the national anthem, but it is, at least for a week, adding the song known as the Black national anthem. "Lift Every Voice and Sing" will be performed before every kickoff during the opening week of the NFL season, a source tells outlets including ESPN, USA Today, and CNN. "The Star-Spangled Banner" will also be played. The NFL promised four weeks ago it would work with players on how to support the fight against systemic racism, and the source said that other parts of the plan include naming victims of police brutality victims on helmet decals or jerseys, and airing educational PSAs about the victims and their families during the Week 1 broadcasts. (More NFL stories.)

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