Sheryl Lee Ralph Sang the Black National Anthem, ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ at the 2023 Super Bowl
Emmy Award winner Sheryl Lee Ralph took to the field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before kickoff at Super Bowl LVII. The Black national anthem is a recent addition to pre-game ceremonies at NFL games, and the original Dreamgirls star did the song justice with her soaring vocals.
The NFL started playing the Black national anthem at football games in 2021
Much like “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was a poem that was later set to music. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was written in 1900 by civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson; his brother composed music to accompany his words. Johnson’s song was written when someone in his local community wanted to put together a celebration to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. The song began as a celebration of Lincoln and his legacy of emancipating enslaved people across the United States, but soon took on a life of its own thanks to its profound lyrics about persevering in the face of adversity. Eventually, the song became known as the Black national anthem.
The National Football League is one of many organizations that began outwardly taking steps to support Black Americans in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. Part of this effort was the inclusion of the Black national anthem to be sung before football games alongside “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” became a part of pre-game proceedings back in 2021 in the NFL’s season-opening game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The anthem continued to be a part of NFL games.
Sheryl Lee Ralph sang ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ at the 2023 Super Bowl
2023 marked the first time that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was ever performed at the Super Bowl. To celebrate the occasion, the NFL recruited Emmy Award-winning Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph to sing the song.
Ralph’s musical credentials are nothing to scoff at, as the actor was one of the original Dreamgirls in the 1980s alongside Jennifer Holliday and Loretta Devine. For her role in the Broadway musical, Ralph earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical. She also recently made a return to music as a solo artist, releasing her first-ever Christmas album in 2022, her first album in nearly four decades.
Ralph showed up to Super Bowl LVII in a red dress with a long, flowing cape, ready to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” with backup singers and musicians.
Sheryl Lee Ralph is getting her flowers
Sheryl Lee Ralph has been acting for decades since Dreamgirls, but it took all those years for her to earn her first-ever Emmy Award. She took home the award for Oustanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as teacher Barbara Howard in the hit mockumentary series Abbott Elementary. She inspired many with her acceptance speech, which spoke to the payoff that comes after hard work and believing in yourself.
“To anyone who has ever — ever — had a dream, and thought your dream wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t come true, I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like. This is what striving looks like. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you,” she said.
