Republicans skip 'black national anthem' at New York City Council

Crain's New York reports:

Every New York City Council meeting begins with the Pledge of Allegiance and later a formal invocation.

But Thursday afternoon, members of the council's Black, Asian and Latino Caucus organized a singing of the first verses of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," also known as the black national anthem, directly after the pledge. The hymn, a standard of the the civil rights movement, celebrates faith during adversity and the "harmonies of liberty."

But democracy proved to be not so harmonic, as the council's three Republicans ditched the meeting's start and did not join in the singing. A Crain's reporter found them sitting with staff in the office of Minority Leader Steven Matteo, R-Staten Island, soon after the session's invocation.

The three councilmen denied that their empty chamber chairs were a protest, saying they were in a separate meeting. But Councilman Eric Ulrich, R-Queens, a mayoral hopeful, said the three have divergent opinions on the singing, although he did not object to it. When first asked about his non-participation, he said: "I don't know the words."

Is the New York City Council uncomfortable with white folks?