Booker T. Washington endorsed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in 1905, and it became the official song of the NAACP in 1919. The NFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Troy Vincent, wrote about the song in a 2020 blog on the NFL Operations website:

For the last three years, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," often referred to as the Black national anthem, has been performed ahead of the Super Bowl and this year the song will once again be featured in the pregame performances.

A song often referred to as the Black national anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," will be performed by local artist Ledisi at Sunday's Super Bowl in New Orleans, the fifth year it has featured in the National Football League championship game.

Super Bowl LIX is obviously about the high-stakes matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. But it’s also about much, much more. The Super Bowl is a sporting event, sure. However,

Ledisi, a Grammy-winning jazz and soul artist who was born in New Orleans and spent much of her childhood growing up there, is slated to perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known popularly as the Black National Anthem.

Conservative NFL fans are demanding a Super Bowl boycott after they discovered that the “Black National Anthem” will be performed on Sunday in New Orleans. Over the years, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has been sung during the NFL pregame events—and has always sparked some type of controversy.

The NFL has confirmed that 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' will be performed before Super Bowl LIX, but Michael Strahan is bemused by the backlash to the 'black national anthem'