With each passing day, hatred against minorities in America seems to become more prevalent. Despite numerous demonstrations and protests, it appears that no one is willing to listen. In response to this situation, a pop singer in California decided to take matters into her own hands by performing the Spanish version of the Star-Spangled Banner, which was officially commissioned by Theodore Roosevelt in 1945, even after she had been explicitly advised not to.
The video depicts singer Nezza being spoken to by someone representing the Los Angeles, California, Dodgers Stadium. Nezza has requested to sing the Spanish version of the Star Spangled Banner since it was commissioned by Theodore Roosevelt in 1945 and is an official song of the United States of America. Despite being told not to do it, moments later, the video cuts to her on the field, singing the version she had been told to scrap. There is nothing that describes ‘peaceful protest’ better than this!
The Dodgers have a massive Latino fanbase, which makes it even more alarming that a Spanish version of the country’s national anthem couldn’t be sung. In fact, commenters on Nezza’s video felt the same, with one person saying, “L on the dodgers for that…their fan base is nothing but latin/hispanic people. Glad you still did it during these times!”
Shortly after the video was posted, Nezza posted once again to TikTok, revealing that she has been banned from the stadium in response to her protest. Fortunately, her followers still had her back, with some commenters denouncing the Dodgers as one of their favorite sports teams.
There is a lot of political turbulence happening right now, and it’s encouraging to see so many people standing firm in their values and beliefs. I hope that organizations, such as sports teams, understand the significance of allowing their fans to sing a Spanish version of a song.
