When most singers perform the national anthem, they linger on one word: 鈥渇ree.鈥� It鈥檚 the final high note, the last word of the penultimate line.
If you鈥檝e heard the anthem sung by local singer D.C. Washington 鈥� and if you鈥檝e been to a Nats, Wizards, 鈥楽kins or D.C. United game in the last decade, there鈥檚 a decent chance you have 鈥� you鈥檒l know that鈥檚 not his style. He eschews the dramatic hold, transitioning immediately into the final line. The only time he deviates from the steady, up-tempo rhythm of his rendition is on the final word, which he belts like an opera singer: 鈥渂rave.鈥�
Washington鈥檚 anthems sound a lot like those of many military members 鈥� straightforward, devoid of the American Idol audition shrills that have proliferated across professional sports pregame ceremonies in the last umpteen years. They鈥檙e forged by his 22 years in the Army, from which he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. But they still have hints of his background as a lifelong church choir singer.
鈥淲hen I stand out there, it鈥檚 not about me,鈥� he told 草莓传媒 in a recent interview. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 say that with any kind of false modesty. I can stand out there and take 15 minutes to sing the anthem, and it still won鈥檛 be about me.鈥�
Washington said he鈥檚 not from a military family, but his father served short time in World War II and his brother was Marine in Vietnam.
鈥淚 think I was pretty patriotic before I went into the military,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty hyped about my country. I love being who I am.鈥�
Washington didn鈥檛 grow up a big sports fan (and, he admits, still isn鈥檛 that big a fan), but was turned on to baseball in the summer of 1978, while living in upstate New York. Before New York Yankee games, an opera singer named Robert Merrill sang the anthem every Opening Day for three decades. Washington didn鈥檛 care about the Yankees; he was a big fan of Merrill鈥檚, though.
鈥淚 loved watching him sing the anthem every day,鈥� he said.
An opportunity didn鈥檛 present itself on that level for Washington until about 25 years later, when a member of his church congregation, who worked for the Burgundy and Gold, took a CD recording of Washington singing the anthem with him out to Ashburn. Washington made his NFL debut that year, and sang in the Nationals鈥� closing years at RFK.
He鈥檚 also been a regular for D.C. United, singing the final anthem at RFK and one of the first at Audi Field. He鈥檚 sung for the Wizards a couple times, but surprisingly, has not been brought in for a Capitals game (cough, cough).
He鈥檚 got plenty of big games on his resume, but like D.C. sports in general, not too many big wins. He鈥檚 sung a Nats playoff game every year since 2014 and even sang for the MLB Futures Game, part of All-Star Weekend last year at Nationals Park. He also sang before RG3鈥檚 scintillating win over Dallas in 2012, only to be called back to sing at the playoff game against Seattle the next week in which the young phenom would tear up his knee, an injury from which he never fully recovered.
But Washington said he enjoys the less prominent venues at least as much as the biggest stages.
鈥淚鈥檝e done anthems for Little League games,鈥� he said, something that鈥檚 requested of him often. 鈥淚 just did an anthem for the Northern Virginia Swimming League.鈥�
You鈥檙e probably wondering about his name. Such a perfect stage name as D.C. Washington is inspired for someone who plies his trade most publicly singing the national anthem at sporting events around our nation鈥檚 capital. Of course, his name鈥檚 not actually D.C. Washington. It couldn鈥檛 possibly be. Right?
Some things are just meant to be.
Dwight Clyde Washington was born and raised in McGehee, Arkansas, a thousand miles southwest of the capitol city with which he shares his name. It was his grandmother who wanted his initials to be D.C., though she never said why. Clyde was Washington鈥檚 mother’s best friend鈥檚 dad鈥檚 name. He鈥檚 gone by D.C. his whole life, except for a short spell when he lived in Mississippi in the Army, the only place where he is referred to as Dwight.
Well, not the only place.
鈥淢y wife calls me Dwight when she wants to get my attention,鈥� he laughed.
Washington attended college as a music major and had intentions to be a band teacher after graduation, once he fulfilled his two years of mandatory military duty. But it was his history before adulthood that better informs of his worldview.
When Washington started ninth grade, he was still attending a segregated high school. The next year, in 1970, Arkansas finally integrated its schools. He鈥檚 seen the progress our country has made on that front firsthand, but also understands how far we still have to go.
鈥淚 grew up in the segregated south. I grew up in a household that loved our country, understood the flaws of our country, but understood the promise of our country,鈥� he said.
As a Black man whose identity is so strongly tied to both his military service and singing the national anthem in the nation鈥檚 capital, it鈥檚 no surprise that when Colin Kaepernick started making headlines for his silent protests, people began asking Washington his opinion. That audience included a couple reporters. But he didn鈥檛 feel comfortable speaking up at first.
鈥淚 stayed away from it, to be honest with you,鈥� he said.
One day, though, something changed. He couldn鈥檛 point to anything in particular that flipped the switch in him, but he took to Facebook to express himself.
鈥淚 understood that what he was doing was not about denigrating the military, denigrating the flag, or even denigrating the anthem,鈥� said Washington. 鈥淚t was about trying to say, 鈥業 don鈥檛 have a voice, except this voice, to bring attention to something that right now I don鈥檛 think is getting enough attention.鈥欌��
Washington has been given his own voice, ironically, through the very same anthem Kaepernick chose as a venue to protest. He has come to understand our national anthem through the prism of what’s often called the Black national anthem, 鈥淟ift Every Voice and Sing.鈥� While Washington considers every offer to let him sing the anthem an honor, and has no desire to make such a statement himself, he understood the feeling Kaepernick expressed, that he felt oppressed by the country he calls home.
鈥淭he reason I can sing the national anthem 鈥� 鈥極h say can you see?鈥� 鈥� is because I learned to understand about faith and hope in a country that was not always faithful to me or hopeful to me,鈥� said Washington.
He , but is otherwise fairly ambivalent to new technology. His music isn鈥檛 on Spotify; he doesn鈥檛 have a YouTube page, or even a website to promote his work. He recorded one CD (that鈥檚 what he calls them, not albums) a few years back to help raise money for widows in the congregation at Immanuel Bible Church. He鈥檚 got another one due out in the next month, featuring a track with Nationals former coach and current broadcaster Bo Porter, which will benefit the Central Union Mission in Downtown D.C., where he鈥檚 been on the board the last 16 years.
He said he knows it sounds corny, but Washington isn鈥檛 shy to profess his love for Jesus and to try to walk in his path. He thinks about that a lot when it comes to the arguments about the anthem, about patriotism in our country, and about trying to learn from one another instead of bickering with total strangers online.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to have what I believe challenged,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 OK. Because sometimes it might change my mind. Other times, I may be able to better articulate [my beliefs], because now I鈥檝e engaged with this.鈥�
He objects to the all-or-nothing framing many issues are too often given, especially the concept of patriotism and the implications in the question that is presented: Do you love your country?
鈥淪ometimes you have to criticize your country. Sometimes you have to celebrate your country,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think you can do both those things and still be patriotic.鈥�
