Contestants vie to write a more diverse state song
Floridians are being asked to cast their ballot for a new tune to replace the state’s official state song, which some consider racially offensive.
A trio of tunes were unveiled Tuesday, winners of a statewide “Just Sing, Florida” competition that attracted 243 entries.
Now it’s up to the public to decide which one they like the best. Voting opened Tuesday and will close at midnight on Jan. 10, with the winner being announced Jan. 11 at the Florida Music Educators’ Association convention in Tampa.
The contest is organized by the Florida Music Educators’ Association in partnership with state Sen. Tony Hill and Rep. Ed Homan. A panel of six judges selected the finalists.
The most popular tune could take the place of Old Folks At Home, which was written by Stephen Foster in 1851 and evokes images of a pre-Civil War Florida, where slaves worked the large cotton plantations.
The ballad, commonly known as Swanee River, was adopted as the official state song in 1935, replacing Florida, My Florida. But the lyrics contain terms such as “darkeys”, are written in an exaggerated plantation dialect that recall “de banjo strumming,” and glorify life on the plantation.