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A statue of Kate Smith, who sang "God Bless America", was hidden in Philadelphia when sports teams stopped playing the song at home games.
Smith's statue has been in the Philadelphia Flyers Sports Complex since 1987; it was moved from outside the former Spectrum Arena during the demolition of the arena in 2011.
The Flyers have also said the team will join the New York Yankees and no longer play "God Bless America", attributing that choice to the lyrics of some of Smith's other songs.
"We have recently learned that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization," said in a statement the Flyers, a hockey team.
The statue of Kate Smith near the Wells Fargo Center is covered. @NHLFlyers have cut ties with Smith on the lyrics of racist songs. pic.twitter.com/I6eCsT5oRl
– Mike DeNardo (@_MikeDeNardo) April 19, 2019
"As we continue to examine this serious issue, we remove the recording of Kate Smith's" God Bless America "from our library and we cover the statue on the outside of our arena."
Smith died in 1986 at the age of 79. She was an accomplished singer and a radio star. She has participated in numerous shows on major networks and published dozens of successful recordings from the 1930s to the 1960s, including several popular songs nationwide. .
Smith received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Ronald Reagan in 1982.
Calling him "one of America's great singers," said Reagan.
"Her beautiful voice alone has earned her a place in the history books, but it has also earned her a place in our hearts, thanks to something more that touches both the spirit and the soul. The listener's ear, "Reagan said. at the ceremony. He said his voice was one of the most inspiring things heard by troops during World War II and other wars.
She is best known for her portrayal of "God Bless America", recorded in 1939, about two decades after its creation by Irving Berlin in 1918.
The decision to stop playing Smith's song and cover her statue was taken after airing the lyrics of a song from the top 20 she recorded in 1931, "That's Why Darkies Were Born". In the song, she sings: "Someone had to pick cotton, Someone had to pick corn, Someone had to slave and be able to sing, That's why the dark ones were born."
According to the right examiner Washington Examiner, the lyrics are racist, but the song may have been satirical.
"The song was probably satire. "That's why Darkies are born" was first played in 1931 by "George White's Scandals", a series of Broadway magazines. According to some sources, the song would be considered a satire and magazines are considered a collection of sketches with typically satirical themes. Singer Paul Robeson, who was black, also played the song, "wrote columnist Madeline Fry.
Kate Smith (1909-1986), a very popular American singer on the radio in the 1930s and 1940s, with composer Arthur Johnston in a 1933 archive photo. (Hulton Archive / Getty Images)"If" That's the reason Darkies were born, "is not a satire, the lyrics are inexcusable, and as a satire, it's a scathing and progressive comment," Fry added.
Critics, including the left-wing daily NY Daily News, noted that she had recorded at least one other song that could be considered shocking, "Pickaninny Heaven," in which she had sung that "children of color" had to enjoy "big watermelons" with other treats.
The Flyers decision was made after the Yankees announced that the team would no longer broadcast "God Bless America".
"The Yankees were informed of a record that was previously unknown to us and decided to immediately and thoroughly review this new information," said a club spokesman at the Daily News. "The Yankees take social, racial and cultural insensitivities very seriously. And even if no definitive conclusion has been drawn, we are mistaken for sensitivity. "
Follow Zachary on Twitter: @zackstieber
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