Roane County High School Graduate Kamari Moore has been selected to perform the National Anthem at the Roane State High School Homecoming football game this Friday Sept. 23.
Kamari, a Kingston native, has a long history of singing in choir, and said she had stage fright that had kept her from singing the anthem until last year.
“I have always looked at myself as a go-getter, but seem to sometimes want to be hidden behind the scenes,” she said. “I grew up singing in choirs since I was little but have always tried to take the back seat of being out in front. Growing up I always wanted to sing the National Anthem even though I had a slight fear of being in the spotlight. In 2020 I did a self-evaluation on where I came from, where I was and where I wanted to go. I thought about what I’ve already achieved and what I yet wanted to accomplish, so I took a leap of faith and decided to spread my wings and take an adventure to accomplish those goals that were on my list.”
After reenrolling in college to obtain a degree in Business Administration and Marketing, Moore was given the opportunity to sing at a Kingston High School basketball game and said she was instructed to ‘not let that be a one-time engagement and to seek other events.’
“As time went on and on, I continued to have the vision of singing it until I decided that it wasn’t going to go away until I did it,” she said. “And so I put myself out there not knowing where it was going to lead me, and I never would have expected the response to be like it has been.”
After sending emails to various event coordinators, Moore would be contacted by locations such as local middle and high schools, University of Tennessee, Tennessee Smokies, Chattanooga Lookouts, Nashville Sounds, Kingsport Axmen, and the Knoxville Ice Bears to name a few.
“The latest and the most mind blowing one that I received lately was from the Memphis Grizzles and I’m currently waiting on a confirmed date,” said Moore. “I never in my dreams expected what small dream I had to escalate to such opportunities as these.”
Moore said she sees her singing the anthem as a way for her to give back to her community.
“Never count yourself out, the impossibles are possible,” she said. “With all that is going on in the world, the racism, the diseases and sickness, the political war, the struggles of just every day life, I look my singing the National Anthem as my way of closing the gap, being proud of being in America and hoping to make it the greatest country to live in. I’m praying that my voice, my ministry, my belief will make it a better place to live as we learn to unite with one another. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to sing The National Anthem at my Alma Mater, Roane County High School at the 2022 Homecoming Football game vs Campbell County, and look forward to it.”
