A Florida woman stunned the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. last week with her powerful rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and now video of her performance of the National Anthem has gone viral.
The video, recorded June 16, of Star Genleah Swain, has been viewed more than 7 million times on Facebook after it was shared by R&B singer Nay Michelle on her page on June 24. It has also been viewed more than 2 million times on Kermit Vigil’s page. The video has also been seen thousands of times elsewhere, including on Swain’s YouTube account.
The video begins with the man holding the camera encouraging Swain to start singing, and when she does, the crowd of tourists at the Lincoln Memorial comes to a halt. After she belts out the song, the crowd gives her a loud round of applause.
Star Genleah Swain sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (YouTube Screenshot)
Swain is an assistant principal at Jefferson County Middle/High School in Monticello, Florida, according to her Facebook page.
“I see now, God is getting ready to do something big from what wasn’t even planned…almost 1M views,” she wrote on Facebook. “Thank you so much Kermit Virgil and my Marching 100 fam for spreading it like wildfire…and my friends and family who put me up to it! And alllllll the ppl who have sent literally hundreds of messages, blessings, and compliments. Love you all!!!!!”
She was a member of the Florida A&M Marching 100.
Swain is now a pursuing her Ph.D in education policy and evaluation at Florida State University, according to her Facebook page.
“Omg! Look at how everyone stopped what they were doing to listen to this young lady sing the National Anthem at the Lincoln Memorial! AMAZING!,” Nay Michelle wrote on her Facebook page. “She needs to sing the National Anthem at the 2017 Super Bowl !!!!!”
In a comment on the video, one user, Mary Tobin, wrote, “I’m a Combat Veteran and I’ve laid many Soldiers and friends to rest in defense of our nation. Every time I hear the anthem it means the world to me, but when I hear it sung with conviction and strength it makes me even more proud to have served this country because people like you make America worth fighting for…so thank you.”
