New York – Ellis Island, an icon of immigration to the United States, on Tuesday was the stage for the presentation by Latin music stars of the album “Somos Americanos” (We are Americans) and a choral rendition of a controversial Spanish-language version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Recording company Urban Box Office (UBO) brought a number of artists together to participate in singing “Nuestro himno” (Our anthem), the Spanish version of the U.S. anthem, a rendition that has sparked national controversy amid the ongoing debate over immigration reform.
In a statement to journalists, the CD’s producer, Eduardo Reyes, tried to play down the matter, emphasizing that the U.S. anthem was translated in 1919 into Spanish, French, German and Italian at the request of the U.S. Congress. That was 12 years before it was officially made the country’s national anthem.
Reyes also downplayed the criticism of those who claim that the anthem must be sung in English, including President George W. Bush, whose opinion runs counter to that of First Lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, both of whom have said they like the Spanish version.
Reyes said that although Bush has criticized the current project, he used the Spanish-language anthem sung by Cuban-American Jon Secada in his 2000 presidential campaign.
The producer said that the idea of taping the Spanish-language anthem was intended to be a unifying factor in the demonstrations against the punitive immigration bill passed last December by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Leaving the controversy to the side, UBO celebrated the presentation of the album in style at the famous and symbolic Ellis Island, the port of entry to the United States for some 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954.
With the standardization of the immigration system, the island lost its former function of processing incoming immigrants and was abandoned in November 1954, but it was proclaimed a national monument in 1965 and is currently a tourist destination.
In agreement with UBO president Adam Kidron, “Nuestro himno” was written with the aim of highlighting the contributions of immigrants to this country while the Senate was formulating its version of immigration legislation.
Kidron said that his firm’s goal was not to cause a stir, but rather to demonstrate solidarity with immigrants, noting that people from all over the world live in the United States.
An assortment of artists participated in singing the Spanish-language version of the anthem, which includes the English verses in the CD’s accompanying written material. Among the featured performers are Gloria Trevi, Don Omar, Ivy Queen, Olga Tañon, Wyclef Jean, Carlos Ponce, Andy Andy, Grupo Aventura, Grupo Voz a Voz and Pitbull, among others.
“Somos Americanos” has been on sale nationwide since April 24.
Performing “Nuestro Himno” at Tuesday’s event was the Dominican band Voz a Voz, whose members told EFE that they are not worried about the criticism.
“Everything that’s done for the first time creates controversy,” said vocalist Gio.
“There’s been condemnation and support, but we share the idea that this is a land of liberty and we can sing the anthem in Spanish,” he said.
Fellow band member David added that they performed “Nuestro himno” to show “how pretty the anthem is” in Spanish.
To cover all their bases, organizers arranged for a group of Hispanic children from a local public school to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in English during Tuesday’s presentation, which took place near the Statue of Liberty with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is a four-verse poem written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore by British ships during the War of 1812. It was set to already-existing music, became a popular U.S. patriotic song and was officially made the country’s national anthem by a congressional resolution in 1931.
