Jun 23, 2025
In 1945, the U.S. Department of State called for a translation of “The Star-Spangled Banner” into Spanish.
Peruvian-born, naturalized American educator, composer, and musician Clotilde Arias took on the task of preparing an artful, accurate Spanish-language version. The result, “El Pendón Estrellado,” is the official version of the national anthem.
On June 14, Dominican/Colombian-American singer Nezza (née Vanessa Hernandez), told by the L.A. Dodgers to sing the national anthem in English, not Spanish, before one of their games, performed the anthem in Spanish anyway in solidarity with immigrant families targeted by recent ICE raids in L.A.
