Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph, a long time HIV advocate, is set to take the stage for the 57th annual Super Bowl. The powerhouse — who also created a documentary highlighting stories of Black women living with HIV — will sing the Black National Anthem, otherwise known as “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
The NFL announced the pre-game lineup on their Instagram account, where it also noted Chris Stapleton as the artist performing the National Anthem and Babyface performing “America the Beautiful.”
Ralph reposted the news on her own Instagram account and captioned it, “Come on now. Don’t you ever give up on your baby! I’ll be singing Lift Every Voice and Sing at Super Bowl LVII — See you there.”
Comments of the news were met with praise with colleagues like Terri J Vaughn leaving comments like, “Yes yes yeeesssss!!!! Miss Sheryl, whew girl, filled with so much joy for you!! Thank you for always being true to you!! To US!! Can’t wait for this!! Blessings keep overflowing!! The ancestors are aligned and basking!”
Ralph recently won an Emmy in September for her performance on ABC’s Abbott Elementary, where she sang on stage during her acceptance speech (see below). Her role on Abbott Elementary also earned her a 2023 Golden Globe nomination and a Critics Choice Awards win.
Ralph was also in the original 1981 Broadway production of Dreamgirls, where she earned a Tony nomination for her role as Deena Jones (played by Beyoncé in the 2006 film adaptation).
According to a press release from NFL Communications, Ralph and the other performers will be accompanied with someone providing American Sign Language on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf.
