O say
can you see by the dawn's early light ...
To almost every person living in the land of the stars and stripes, these words are very recognizable.
But when the same phrase becomes Amanece lo veis
a la luz de la aurora
it becomes controversial. As the first line of the Spanish version of The Star-Spangled Banner
titled Nuestro Himno or Our Anthem
those nine words are part of a national debate being waged against the legitimacy and correctness of the conversion of the U.S. national anthem to Spanish ' a language that 29 million U.S. residents age 5 and older speak, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The debate hones in on the song that transforms the 1814 composition by Francis Scott Key into an ode to immigrants, Spanish speakers and their supporters. Nuestro Himno has been played on radio stations nationwide in addition to getting heavy Internet traffic. Mixing the traditional melody of The Star-Spangled Banner with a brisk tempo and pop appeal, the song is a loose translation of the original, featuring artists such as Wyclef Jean and Pitbull.
As immigrants write and sing this song
the same song that Americans sing
it shows the country and world that they do want to be a part of our society
said sophomore Velma Lopez, president of the Latino Student Union.
Lopez acknowledged a connection between the song and the national flurry of protests, boycotts and demonstrations against a congressional bill with the potential to make illegal status in America a felony offense for immigrants.
America is a melting pot
and we have so many cultures here
