Feb. 1 marked the beginning of Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements and recognition of African Americans. 

Feb. 13 the Super Bowl incorporated Black History Month support throughout the whole event to bring awareness during the most watched television broadcast in the US. 

Before the Super Bowl kicked off, gospel duo Mary Mary, composed of sisters Erica Campbell and Trecina Atkins-Campbell, sang “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem, in light of Black History Month. This song was originally a poem written by James Weldon Johnson in 1899 as a cry for social justice. In 1919, this song became the official song for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Then, in 2020, the NFL announced this song would be played before each first game of the season. In addition, six time Grammy nominee Jhene Aiko performed “America the Beautiful,” and Mickey Guyton sang the national anthem. Guyton was the first Black woman to earn a Grammy nomination in a country category and first Black woman to host the ACM Awards.

The halftime performance starred Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and surprise guest 50 Cent. This was the first ever halftime show that incorporated only rap and hip hop center stage. During the show, rapper Eminem took a knee after his performance of “Lose Yourself.”  This moment of protest was a statement that correlated with former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began the movement of taking a knee during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial inequality. Kaepernick was heavily criticized during this time, but Eminem has a history of supporting Kaepernick. In his 2017 song “Untouchable,” he rapped “Somebody has to be the sacrificial lamb… So they call it Kaepernick tantrum… If you don’t stand for the national anthem.” Eminem continued to kneel with his hand over his head for a few moments until the next song “Still D.R.E.” began. 

The Super Bowl had multiple African American appearances that helped bring awareness to Black History Month through performances and songs — from the Black national anthem, to African American singers and Eminem’s protest.