Have You Listened to 'Nuestro Himno' Before Criticizing It?

A Plea to All Americans:

Please LISTEN to Nuestro Himno/Our Anthem before criticizing it--

This recently released Latino rendition of the US national anthem is one of the most moving renditions of the Anthem I have ever heard. If people bothered to listen to this artistic tribute to the United States and its history as a nation of immigrants before jumping on the bandwagon to criticize it, perhaps something important for the future of this nation could be learned by all Americans.

Nuestro Himno features many different artists who have together produced an amazingly beautiful and inspiring bilingual tribute to the US Anthem. According to the Latino-oriented record label Urban Box Office (UBO), which has released the recording,

"Nuestro Himno" or "Our Anthem," is set to "urban Latino rhythms" but respects the song's traditional structure.

Indeed, what much of the reactionary off-the-cuff commentary on this rendition of the Anthem seems to be missing is this simple point: As a work of art, Nuestro Himno is not intended to replace the traditional English version, or to suggest that all Americans should begin singing the Anthem in Spanish. Rather, in the best creative tradition of this nation, this song pays tribute to the heroic spirit of the Anthem and gives its history renewed meaning and life for a new generation of Americans in the twenty-first century.

Yet, without pausing to consider the possibility that there might be something profound and beautiful for all Americans to learn from this artistic tribute to the US national Anthem--something that might help to draw all Americans closer together, and give them wisdom to solve some of the problems of immigration they are currently confronting--when asked about this Latino version of the Anthem earlier today at his news conference, the President responded dismissively by saying that the Anthem should only be sung in English.

This kind of dismissive response, which seems to be in line with so much of the unfortunate reactionary tone of the rhetoric about immigration today, does not allow a question central to the resolution of the current debate over immigration to be considered: What can we learn from past and present traditions of art and creativity, to deepen our understanding of the kind of future Americans can build together?

Nuestro Himno has much to teach all Americans, if we will only pause for a moment to listen, and to think about what is has to say about the deep wisdom and beauty that resides in the traditions of immigrant solidarity that have made this country as richly diverse and creatively vibrant as it is today.

So I hope, before you jump without thinking on the bandwagon to say, like the President, that the National Anthem should only be sung in English (as if translating the language of our most important national songs or literature has suddenly become unpatriotic), I hope you will take a few minutes to listen to this music, and to ask whether all Americans might not be able to learn much from what it has to teach us about how we can continue to build a future for all Americans out of the rich traditions of this country's immigrant past and present--

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President Bush also said at today's news conference,

"One of the things that's very important is, when we debate this issue, that we not lose our national soul. One of the great things about America is that we've been able to take people from all walks of life bound as one nation under God. And that's the challenge ahead of us."

This is indeed the challenge ahead of us! And this is a challenge we will surely fail to meet if we react to the challenges of immigration without first pausing to listen to the lessons of history and art, and to think creatively about new forms of policy that are needed to respond to the challenges of the present.

If the President and US citizens can voice such sentiments about our "national soul" and yet, without pause, argue that the National Anthem can only--everywhere and always--be sung in English, I'm afraid such reactions may indicate that much is already missing, or in danger of being lost, from our "national soul."

If Americans cannot come to see how a beautiful song like Nuestro Himno offers much to enrich our national soul, I fear we are very much in danger of losing it.

And in any case, the immediate rejection of this possibility seems to be the basis on which the current unthinking backlash is developing. This backlash is itself unpatriotic, since it would suggest that Americans are too narrow-minded and fearful to appreciate and value the tribute paid to their anthem by Nuestro Himno.

Why can a Latino version of the National Anthem not be viewed as a patriotic expression of solidarity with the history of the US as an immigrant nation? If we cannot learn from our own history how it was that previous immigrant cultures enriched our national history and made possible what is best in it today, I fear we may be losing touch with the best part of what the President called our "national soul"....

For historical background on the US National Anthem, see the Smithsonian's website on the Star-Spangled Banner.

Satyagraha Now!