One of the most memorable singers in our nation’s history is being relegated to the trash heap of history by sports teams that have kept her memory alive for decades.
Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers have given Kate Smith’s “God Bless America” the ax after it was discovered she sang racist songs back in the 1930s.
“We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization,” the Flyers said in a statement.
“As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith’s recording of ‘God Bless America’ from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena,” it said.
The Yankees were the first to ax the song and said that the team was “erring on the side of sensitivity” in making the decision.
“The Yankees have been made aware of a recording that had been previously unknown to us and decided to immediately and carefully review this new information,” the team said.
“The Yankees take social, racial and cultural insensitivities very seriously. And while no final conclusions have been made, we are erring on the side of sensitivity,” it said.
Smith was a famous singer before and during WWII who recorded the offensive jingle, “Pickaninny Heaven,” which she directed at “colored children” who should fantasize about an amazing place with “great big watermelons,” among other treats. She shot a video for that song that takes place in an orphanage for black children, and much of the imagery is startlingly racist. She also recorded, “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” which included the lyrics, “Someone had to pick the cotton. … That’s why darkies were born.”
Smith, who died in 1986, endorsed the “Mammy Doll” in 1939, which was based on a racist caricature of a black woman in the same vein as Aunt Jemima.
The Yankees are investigating these claims and there are some conflicting notions regarding the song “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” in particular, because it was considered satire at the time and recorded with African-American artist Paul Robeson. Still, her shocking lyrics from 1939 are neither humorous nor ironic in 2019 — and the Yankees acted swiftly.
Flyers have cut ties with Kate Smith & have covered up the statue at the complex. pic.twitter.com/pPcgAXtFHB
— Dan Gelston (@APgelston) April 19, 2019
I don’t have know what’s happened in the past with Kate Smith and reports of racism and if so that’s disgraceful , but on another note hearing Kate Smith rendition of God Bless America before #Flyers Games is old and tired and should have been gone years ago. https://t.co/3BXt3Z3YXw
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) April 19, 2019
The Kate Smith statue near the Wells Fargo Center is covered, amid reports the @NHLFlyers have cut ties with Smith over racist song lyrics. pic.twitter.com/I6eCsT5oRl
— Mike DeNardo (@_MikeDeNardo) April 19, 2019
If the Yankees were intelligent enough to conduct some easy research on Kate Smith, they would note that President Reagan gave Kate Smith the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1982.
Kate Smith is an American legend, who was born in the old South, in a different time. pic.twitter.com/S9VQAve4ov
— Now Media News (@NowMediaScott) April 19, 2019
Yankees stop playing Kate Smith's recording of "God Bless America" because of her racist jingles: https://t.co/ByJqzK5TLg pic.twitter.com/9ReQG4i7eP
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) April 19, 2019