Chloe x Halle sing anthem in Breonna Taylor, George Floyd shirts before NFL kickoff
The soulful singers sang America's national anthem, intertwining "Lift Every Voice and Sing," wearing t-shirts honoring victims of police violence.
Sister singers Chloe x Halle performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the opening game of the 2020 NFL season Thursday.
The young women sang America’s national anthem clad in t-shirts that honored victims of police violence. Chloe was clad in a shirt with a picture of Breonna Taylor, while Halle wore one with a photo of George Floyd.
Utilizing their signature harmonies, the sisters delivered a triumphant performance, one described on Twitter afterward as a “soaring rendition.”
At one point, in the middle of the song, the background music pulled in elements of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” considered the Black national anthem, which added to the social justice message. As the young women finished their rendition, they raised closed fists on “The Star-Spangled Banner’s” closing lyrics, “home of the brave.”
While the sisters sang, the Houston Texans, who were playing against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, remained in the locker room.
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The singers’ dazzling execution was only tainted by the many among the 16,000 fans at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City who booed during what the league described as “a moment of silence dedicated to the ongoing fight for equality in our country.” At the time, the NFL players had their arms linked as a show of unity.
Kansas City Councilman Eric Bunch tweeted, “Some NFL fans booing the players for standing and locking arms in a moment of silent unity proves that for them ‘standing for the flag’ was always about perpetuating white supremacy.”
Read More: Poll: Most Americans now think anthem protests acceptable
Dr. Bernice King, the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote on Twitter, “There is no form of protest against racism that is acceptable to racists.”
Other Twitter reactions:
Chloe x Halle will be featured on the October cover of Cosmopolitan. Their story’s headline reads, “Chloe x Halle are Here to Save Your 2020.”
“The Grammy-nominated sisters haven’t been waiting their whole lives for this moment—they’ve been *working* for it,” Cosmo tweeted.
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