Kate Smith Is Our Latest Racist

She was dubbed the “First Lady of Radio” and best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", Kathryn Elizabeth Smith, or Kate Smith, has become America’s newest racist. Although she’s been dead for 33 years, the charge of racist is focused on two songs she sang dating back to the 1930’s.

The two songs at the center of the controversy are the 1931 song, “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” and “Pickaninny Heaven”, which was featured in the 1933 film, “Hello, Everybody!”

The New York Yankees baseball team and the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team both played Kate Smith’s God Bless America before each of their games. Both organizations recently stopped doing so since these accusations of Smith being a racist became known. The Flyers have also removed a statue of Kate Smith that had been in front of their complex for 32 years.

Here are the lyrics to “That’s Why Darkies Were Born”. Pay close attention to the latter part of the song where Blacks are praised as God’s Christian soldiers fighting the fight that White’s either won’t or can’t fight. You’ll discover that except for the terms “darkie” and “colored”, that this song is not disparaging of Blacks at all, but is actually quite the opposite. This song, is an ode to the superior strength and faith Blacks have over Whites, placing the responsibility of salvation with them.

That’s Why Darkies Were Born

Lyrics to “That’s Why Darkies Were Born”. You can listen to the song on YouTube below.

“Brothers, sisters, when this world began. There was more to be done, and it seems that someone, Left it to the colored man.

Brothers, sisters, what must be, must be. Though the balance is wrong, still your faith must be strong, accept your destiny.

Brother listen to me. Someone had to pick the cotton, Someone had to plant the corn, Someone had to slave and be able to sing,

That's why darkies were born; Someone had to laugh at trouble, Though he was tired and worn, Had to be contented with any old thing, That's why darkies were born;

Sing, sing, sing when you're weary and Sing when you're blue,

Sing, sing, that's what you taught, All the white folks to do.

Someone had to fight the Devil, Shout about Gabriel's Horn,

Someone had to stoke the train, That would bring God's children to green pastures,

That's why darkies were born.”

-END-

This ode is in reality very high praise for Blacks when you listen to the actual message. What flagged it as racist were the terms, “colored” and “darkies”. But these are generationally specific words and have blinded the politically correct to what is really being said. Smith sings about Blacks teaching Whites. It was Blacks, not Whites who fought the devil. It was Black’s, not Whites that spread the word of God and the impending Day of Judgment. Smith sings that someone had to keep the coals burning in the train that was taking everyone to heaven, and it’s is the Black race, not the White race that is going to do it.

That sounds like very high praise to the Black race to me.

Pickaninny’s Heaven

The second song that is said to be racist is “Pickaninny’s Heaven” from the 1933 movie, “Hello, Everybody!” The plot focuses on a power company wanting to flood a valley where folks live to build a dam to generate power. Kate Smith sings to raise money to stop the power plant. 

“Pickaninny’s Heaven” is a song Smith dedicates to “all the little colored children” in orphanages across New York City.

In the song Kate Smith sings about the Suwannee River made of real lemonade. Big kids and little kids living all together in a gingerbread house, of every kind of pet from a big teddy bear to a little Mickey Mouse.

A pickaninny was a term used for a small, young black child.  It is considered to be a derogatory term today. The word pickaninny is believed to be derived from the Portuguese pequenino meaning small or diminutive.

The lyrics of concern are, “Great big watermelons roll around and get in your way, in the Pickaninny’s Heaven. Luscious pork chop bushes blooming right outside your doorway in the Pickaninny’s Heaven”.

Watermelons and pork chops are considered derogatory and racially motivated.  

NOTE: During the process of writing this Blog, You Tube took down the video from “Hello, Everybody” where Kate Smith sings, “Pickaninny’s Heaven”.

We have had the luxury and the pain of almost 90 years of growth and understanding about racism and race relations that Kate Smith didn’t have when she recorded those songs. It is not fair to her to go back almost 90 years in history and apply today’s standards. It was a different time, a different era back then. Words and the intent of those words were different in the 1930’s compared to now. If you had told Kate Smith back in 1931 that the word darkie was wrong or bad, she probably would have been very surprised.

Stop and think about it. Both songs are positive. One song has Blacks superior to whites. Both offer comfort and hope.

We can’t let a few words blind us to the message of either songs. They are positive, not disparaging.

Unfortunately, Kate Smith has fallen victim to today’s political correctness. There is a concerted effort in the world today by the left to be offended. Once offended anyone and anything is fair game. Historical figures such as Kate Smith, as well as statues and monuments are favorite targets for the offended left for several reasons. First, they can’t fight back because they are dead. Secondly, because we are dealing with people in history, the politically correct and offended can interpret what was said to fit their narrative. They can change context and meaning to suit their cause. The politically correct left can get by with this because today’s generation is ignorant. They are not knowledgeable of history, nor do they care or see any significance to it.

What this generation is most concerned with is themselves. We live in a hyper-self-absorbed world where self and selfies rule and the universe rotates around “I”.

The politically correct and offended have created their own version of the Salem witch trials appointing themselves as the judge, jury and executioner.

Unfortunately, the Left is so powerful that all they have to do is breathe the word “racists” towards someone and that’s it. Party over. That person is instantaneously tarred and feathered with that epithet and must be punished.

It is one of the most powerful and duplicitous tactics of the politically correct leftist racist accuser when they change the meaning and context of what was said and done in the past by the accused. The power to alter evidence and history is in the hands of the accuser. They redefine the intent of the accused.

The Left ultimately controls the outcome. Not only through false accusation, but with threat of violence. Massive protests and riots can and will break out with millions of dollars of property damage. Presented as organic, these protests and riots are all part of the concerted and well-orchestrated effort of the politically correct leftist sect.

It is an especially egregious offence to present their biased findings to the general public with the sole purpose to excite, enrage, and garner support.

The end result produced by the actions of the left is not only to paint someone (or something) as racist, but to eliminate that person from the pages of history. The left is whitewashing the past all in an effort to rewrite the future.

I have an idea. Let’s apply the same standard and criteria of investigation and accusation to the accuser that is applied to the accused.  Why must we accept these accusations? Why must justice be defined by the wants of the accuser? Why do we permit illegal activities? Why do we allow the Left to interpret and redefine the past?

It’s time that we start investigating the accusers and apply the same standards of judgment to them as they do to their victims.

Kate Smith is just one in a long line of victims the left has unfairly convicted of racism. The momentum of the left is increasing, not decreasing. It’s past time that we put a stop to it.

Bill Hitchcock