Kate Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” has been scrapped at Yankee Stadium, but Bronx Bomber fans are going to bat for her over allegations of racism.
Smith’s niece, Suzy Andron, told The Post she is “honored” by the groundswell of support for the late singer among fans and media.
“Most are solidly behind the positive notion that this is a misunderstanding by a few people who took two or three of her songs [out of 3,000 that she recorded] out of context and inflated a story that my Aunt Kathryn must have been a racist,” Andron said.
“Unfortunately, the Yankees bought into it.”
She added: “Most reasonable people realize that it was a misunderstood, knee-jerk over-reaction which they hope will be corrected soon.”
One superfan told the team he was “boycotting the Yankees until Kate Smith is back, otherwise I am kissing a half century of loyalty goodbye.”
Bronx-born Bombers diehard James Foley fired off an angry missive to Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner, snarling, “Your father [George Steinbrenner] is turning in his grave.”
Foley reasoned that if the Yankees judged past and current employees as they did Smith, Babe Ruth and other legends would be scrubbed from the stadium next.
“Why not purge the lot of them and be honest about your political correctness. Remove the plaques from Monument Park,” he wrote.
“The Yankees are better than this,” added Staten Islander Ray Hagemann, whose brother, John, was an MLB scout for 50 years.
He thinks Smith should be reinstated because booting her was “almost as bad as if they suddenly decided, without adequate explanation, to disassociate themselves with Babe Ruth.”
More than 10,000 people have signed a pair of petitions on Change.org urging the Philadelphia Flyers, where the singer also has been banned, to “Keep the Kate Smith statue and her version of `God Bless America.’ ”
Andron and her husband, Bob, said neither the Yankees nor Flyers have reached out regarding her demand to meet with club executives.
The teams’ actions last month followed allegations of racism in connection with some of Smith’s songs, including a 1939 tune called “That’s Why the Darkies Were Born,” which included the lyrics, “Someone had to pick the cotton.”
The Androns have joined the Facebook group God Bless Kate Smith-The Great Kate Smith Group, which features video links to songs by Smith spanning her 50 years in show business.
“More and more people are writing and posting to blogs,” said Bob Andron. “The Yankees said they were researching this. That was their original statement. Let’s see what happens.”
The Yankees have declined comment.
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