Face the State

Face The State Staff Report

The woman who shocked Denver and the nation last summer by injecting lyrics fom the “Black National Anthem” into her rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner," was in Denver Thursday night to once again sing, but also to share the story of what lead to her headline grabbing performance.

Singer Rene MarieFTS Staff Photo

In July, Rene Marie was invited to sing the national anthem at Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s State of the City address. Marie instead sang “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” a song which has come to be known as the “Black National Anthem.” Her decision sparked angry reactions and Hickenlooper’s office was inundated with calls and e-mails about the song.

“What I heard when Rene sang at the Mayor’s speech, I heard the various ways in which we can love this country,” said Dr. Vincent Hading, a black historian and friend of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., who introduced Marie to the crowd.

Marie had prepared a statement to read for the audience, which gathered at St. John's Cathedral on Capitol Hill to hear her speak and sing. Marie said the impetus for her performance last July happened five years ago after an interview in Russia during which the reporter called her American and she found herself inexplicably offended. The encounter caused Marie to begin exploring her patriotism, or lack thereof.

“My heart would swell with pride and my eyes would well up with tears when I heard the first cords of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner,’” she said, but added that it was hard to reconcile that pride after attending segregated schools and being subjected to Jim Crow laws growing up.

On the other hand, Marie said she always found comfort and encouragement in traditionally black songs like “Life Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” The solution, she decided, was to marry the two “ideologies musically that reflected the America [she] grew up in.”

She said President Barack Obama’s historic candidacy also inspired her music and the resulting lyrics were a combination of black songs set to American tunes, like “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” which she performed to the tune of the national anthem. After Marie's July performance, city council President Michael Hancock said he received hate-filled e-mails over the song. Hickenlooper rushed to her defense, calling what she did an "artistic expression."

Marie ultimately apologized for the offense, but despite the controversy and outrage, she said she does not regret the choice. She deliberately didn't tell anyone about her song choice before hand "because I don't think it is necessary for an artist to ask permission to express themselves artistically," she told the Rocky Mountain News at the time.

Admission to Thursday’s performance was free. About 300 people ultimately showed up, filling half of the church’s sanctuary.

There were mixed reactions to Marie’s performance. Some members of the audience were moved to tears. One woman said Marie’s music made her feel proud to be an American. Another man, who refused to use the microphone provided for comments, said he was actually ashamed of America. “If we do not stop the violence within, how can we expect peace?” he asked.

State Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, was spotted sneaking out early.