Armstrong Williams: Playing the Black national anthem at Super Bowl 58 ‘attempts to divide the nation’ by race | STAFF COMMENTARY

The Super Bowl is a moment in America where our nation should come together over its love for competition and sportsmanship, where the competitive spirit and the determination of the two best teams in football should unify us all. America has another unifier: its national anthem. It’s one song that every American knows and can sing under one flag.

The U.S. national anthem is not a white national anthem. It’s not a Black national anthem. It’s not a national anthem for any race. It is a national anthem for everyone, regardless of race.

“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” otherwise known as the “Black national anthem,” is not an anthem for which Americans sing under one flag. It is an anthem created for one race, and one race only. Playing it at the Super Bowl epitomizes attempts to divide the nation at its core by race.

Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.