Vanessa Williams Faces Backlash Over Black National Anthem Performance

Vanessa Williams is facing criticism for singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" during an Independence Day celebration.

BNC hosts Sharon Reed and Mike Hill discuss Williams and the controversy she's facing on "Start Your Day." Williams sang the Black national anthem alongside "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the PBS Fourth of July celebration. When clips of the performance hit social media, many called her performance racist. Hill says the country needs a Black national anthem because the original anthem for the country talks about killing slaves when it says, "No refuge could save the hireling and slave/ From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave." Hill also notes Francis Scott Key, the writer of the national anthem, was a slave owner.

To watch BNC programming, visit

Follow BNC on social media:

#VanessaWilliams #LifeEveryVoiceAndSing #BlackNationalAnthem