took her own turn at “The Star-Spangled Banner” this morning during President Barack Obama’s second inauguration ceremonies. Starting in a lofty octave, and eventually removing her earpiece ...

“The Star-Spangled Banner is a symbol of American history that ranks with the Statue of Liberty and the Charters of Freedom,” said Brent D. Glass, the museum’s then-director, in 2007.

As such, it is appropriate to consider what the transition means for Black America, and how its musicians have interpreted the “Star Spangled Banner” during times of stress in our racial politics.

What hypocrisy? In 1814, when Francis Scott Key penned the stirring lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” slavery had been operating in this country for almost 200 years. Key had to have known ...