woman sings "black national anthem" instead of star spangled banner.

There is some serious outrage going on about this, while others are proud she did it. What's your take?

Denver singer opts for black national anthem lyrics over 'Star-Spangled Banner' - Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-anthem4-2008jul04,0,1711041.story)

There's a time and place for everything. It was inappropriate IMO. If she had a problem singing the anthem, she should have declined or let them know of her intent.

If I had been standing there, it would have been very difficult for me not to step forward from the crowd and try to lead the assembly in singing the anthem myself.

I think this can only fuel racial tensions. I'm not trying to disrespect anyone, but like LB said there's a time and a place, and that was most certainly not the time or the place for that. If you are asked to sing the National Anthem, you should feel honored, and I feel that she kinda just disrespected us by singing that instead. If she wanted to sing that song, she should've asked if she could sing that song after she sang the National Anthem. You really shouldn't use an opportunity to sing a respected song like the NA to advance yourself as an artist by singing the BNA.

As Lady Brave said, it was a dumb decision on her part. But, is it really that big of a deal?

As Lady Brave said, it was a dumb decision on her part. But, is it really that big of a deal?

It's not so much that it is a big deal, although in today's society it most certainly is going to become a big deal because something like that is a sensitive issue.

I just feel that you really shouldn't mess with the National Anthem like that. Everyone takes pride in our National Anthem, and I think singing the Black National Anthem instead of the actual one is just kinda disrespectful to people of other races.

I think it seems disrespectful that one race gets to have their own "National Anthem" honestly. That's real good for unity and race relations. Can anyone sing the words to the "White National Anthem"? I shake my head in this country at how so many people can stand on their bully pulpits and speak out against racial divisions but fail to speak up when individual races seek to highlight and strengthen those same divisions when it suits them.

What a dumb ass. She's never getting invited to sing anything again that's for sure. Seriously, if you're invited to sing the national anthem, you're invited to sing THE National anthem. You sing The Star-Spangled Banner and try to not embarrass and make a fool of yourself...this is how you do it!

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As for the black "national" anthem, I have no problem with it's existence considering it was written right after the civil war and was officially adopted in 1900. To be honest here The Star-Spangle Banner and it's predecessor "Hail, Columbia" rang all the right tunes but not for African Americas. They talked about freedom and all of that meanwhile African Americas were enjoying all that slavery and Jim Crow had to offer.

The issue I have is not with what she did, which was dumb, but it becoming a national news story. We now live in the outrage culture, in which every perceived affront to American tradition and values is debated on awful news shows, made to be part and parcel of a larger assault on American heritage.

She's an obscure jazz singer who did a stupid thing at a local event. Why give her the celebrity of even acknowledging her?

As for the black "national" anthem, I have no problem with it's existence considering it was written right after the civil war and was officially adopted in 1900. To be honest here The Star-Spangle Banner and it's predecessor "Hail, Columbia" rang all the right tunes but not for African Americas. They talked about freedom and all of that meanwhile African Americas were enjoying all that slavery and Jim Crow had to offer.

True, but it's the same United States of America that later decided slavery was a horrible idea, eventually gave blacks the right to vote, and ended segregation.

She didn't sing the song in 1863. She sung the song in 2008.

I get that the song is rooted in history, and should be appreciated for the two different worlds blacks and whites lived in back then. But it's not like that now. If you want to put out a CD with that on it, go for it. But at a public event? To me it was very self-indulgent and inappropriate.