Sevyn Streeter said the Philadelphia 76ers cancelled her national anthem performance because of her choice of fashion; a “We Matter” shirt.
“Yes, we live in the greatest country in the world but there are issues that we cannot ignore,” Streeter said, according to The Associated Press. “This can’t be ignored.”
The singer was scheduled to sing the anthem before the Sixers’ season opener Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I’d say two minutes before we were about to walk out…the organization told me that I could not wear my shirt while singing the national anthem at their game,” Streeter told the AP by phone. “I was never given any kind of dress code. I was never asked beforehand to show my wardrobe.”
Streeter was upset with the cancellation.
“I was angry, extremely, extremely angry and disappointed and honestly brought to tears by all of it. It broke my heart,” she told the AP. “Honestly, I was very excited about being able to perform the national anthem. I was really looking forward to that.”
The 76ers declined to comment to the AP on why the R&B singer’s performance was cancelled, offering a statement instead.
“The Philadelphia 76ers organization encourages meaningful actions to drive social change. We use our games to bring people together, to build trust and to strengthen our communities. As we move from symbolic gestures to action, we will continue to leverage our platform to positively impact our community,” the organization said in a statement.
Sixers guard Gerald Henderson commented on the matter, saying he felt that something was weird about the moments before the anthem, which ended up being performed by one of the team’s dance members, Jemila Worley, ABC News noted.
“I saw the little pause there…I was wondering, something had crossed my mind like, ‘What’s going on? Did something happen?’” Henderson said.
Henderson didn’t find out that Streeter was the original scheduled performer until after the game though.
“There’s a lot going on man,” he said, according to ABC News. “People care about these things that are happening, as well as they should. And they are going to express themselves in different ways…People are trying to make statements, I guess.”
Streeter has worked with top artists, including Chris Brown and Ariana Grande. In 2013, she had a Top 40 hit record, “It Won’t Stop,” which was a duet with Brown, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
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