Why Even Sing? Anthem Singer Kneels During Performance

A singer decided to kneel during her performance of the national anthem prior to an NBA preseason game in Miami.

As Denasia Lawrence approached midcourt, she unzipped her jacket, revealing the “Black Lives Matter” shirt she has underneath and dropped to her left knee as she began to sing. Her stated intention was to protest racial oppression.

If the anthem is a symbol of racial oppression, then why would she sing it at all?

“We’re being unjustly killed and overly criminalized,” Lawrence explained in a Facebook post from Saturday night. “I took the opportunity to sing and kneel to show that we belong in this country and that we have the right to respectfully protest injustices against us.”

According to Miami Heat staff, there was no advanced warning that Lawrence was wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt nor that she had plans to kneel.

“I didn’t get paid to sing the national anthem nor was this moment about any sort of fame,” Lawrence wrote. “Black Lives Matter is far larger than a hashtag, it’s a rallying cry.”