John Legend: 'It's time to change the U.S. anthem'
John Legend has called on U.S. politicians to change the country's national anthem.
The All of Me singer is supporting sportsman Colin Kaepernick, who recently stirred up controversy by announcing he would not stand for the Star Spangled Banner before games until there is a "significant change" in the oppression of U.S. people due to their race, and he insists it's time to change the tune.
Legend has taken to Twitter to offer up an article which suggests
Francis Scott Key's anthem features an often unsung verse which
"literally celebrates the murder of African-Americans".
Calling the current anthem "weak", the singer/songwriter offers up
an alternative, stating: "My vote is for America the
Beautiful."
He adds: "For those defending the current anthem, do you really
truly love that song? I don't and I'm very good at singing it.
Like, one of the best."
Kaepernick hit headlines last weekend (26-28Aug16) after it was
noted he had refused to stand for the anthem during the San
Francisco 49ers pre-season games.
Asked about his decision, he told NFL Media, "I am not going to
stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black
people and people of colour.
"To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my
part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and
people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
His comments appeared to be aimed at the spate of killings of
African-Americans at the hands of white police officers. The
sickening trend hit new heights this summer (16) and resulted in
the sniper deaths of five cops patrolling a Black Lives Matter
rally in Texas.