Rene Marie Sings 'Black National Anthem' to a Stunned Denver City Council

Denver State of the City Address Off Key

The State of the City is a formality in the Mile High City, but even formalities are handled with pomp and circumstance and Denver's Mayor John Hickenlooper was certain that the 2008 festivities would meet these requirements. This glow of goodwill lasted until jazz great Rene Marie sang the Black National Anthem to a shocked audience. Set to the melody of the Star Spangled Banner, Ms. Marie chose to instead break out in Lift Every Voice and Sing.

Mayor Hickenlooper is quoted by FoxNews as being disappointed. At issue of course is not the fact that a local jazz legend who has been a Colorado resident for nary three years opted to sing the Black National Anthem, but instead that it was substituted for the anthem of the United States of America.

The Black National Anthem, in the past referred to as the Negro National Hymn, has a long and rich history that began in 1900 when it was performed as an ode in honor of Abraham Lincoln. From there it became a staple of hymns sung during the heyday of the Civil Rights Movement and also would become a commonly heard song that was performed after the Star Spangled Banner.

In recent years the Black National Anthem has been heard less, even though it had a brief revival in the 1990s. Rene Marie is reported by the Rocky Mountain News to have apologized to the Denver Mayor although she does not regret her action and believes it is her right as an artist to express herself as she sees fit. According the Denver paper her intent was to mingle the lyrics of the Black National Anthem with the melody of the Star Spangled Banner in an artistic attempt at showcasing unity.

It is interesting to note that Ms. Marie withheld her choice of song from Michael Hancock, the Denver City Council President who also acted as the master of ceremonies. From his quotes it is clear that he does not object to the singing of the Black National Anthem but to the subterfuge that prevented him from putting it on the program in addition to the Star Spangled Banner. Mr. Hancock felt that Ms. Marie's failure to offer the City Council and the Mayor the possibility of choosing to have the anthem sung was inappropriate.