The New York Yankee baseball team played the song during the 7th inning stretch. Not any more. Let it be noted the Yankees didn't allow a black player on the team until Elston Howard was brought on board in 1955.
On the property of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team is a stature of Smith. She died on that spot and her statue is placed there. It is now covered up.
A fan recently pointed out that Smith recorded two songs with demeaning lyrics.
In a 1931 song, she sings, "Someone had to pick the cotton / Someone had to plant the corn / Someone had to slave and be able to sing.".
It was a song and it was a different time. I don't think Smith really cares about this kerfuffle. She's been dead for quite some time in this now pc society.
My question is what are we going to do about Irving Berlin? He wrote God Bless America. He's written thousands of scores, over 3,000. He wrote White Christmas. Uh oh, that's strike two against him. He was the prime composer of patriotic music written during WWII. Don't be surprised if in the near future he's chastized as a Nazi even though he was born in Russia. After all, he does sport a name of a dreaded foe in both world wars. Hey, let's change his name to Irving Berlin Obama. Problem solved.
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