What Is the Black National Anthem?

The “Black National Anthem” is “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” It was written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and was first published in a book of Negro spirituals. The song was originally written as a poem to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

Origins of the Black National Anthem

The Black National Anthem, also known as “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, was written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900. The song was first sung by a 500-person choir at a Negro History Week celebration in Jacksonville, Florida. It quickly became a staple of the Civil Rights movement and is still sung today as a symbol of African American pride.

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson in 1905. The poem was first performed by a 500-voice choir at the dedication of a monument to Abraham Lincoln in Jacksonville, Florida. It quickly became a staple of the civil rights movement, and was adopted as the “Black National Anthem” by the NAACP in 1919.

The song gained new prominence during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, when it was sung at mass meetings, marches, and rallies across the country. In February 2016, then-President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to James Weldon Johnson’s grandson, Dr. Edwin Berry Fisher Jr., in recognition of his family’s legacy.

James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson was an American writer and civil rights leader. He is remembered mainly for his poems, novels, and anthologies compiled from both his own works and those of other writers. Johnson is also celebrated for his leadership of the NAACP, where he worked to pass anti-lynching legislation and helped expand the organization’s reach by adding new chapters throughout the country. He also served as a diplomat in Latin America during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson.

Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1871, the son of a hotelier and a schoolteacher. He attended Atlanta University and Columbia Law School before returning to Jacksonville to practice law. In 1900, he co-wrote a song with his brother John Rosamond Johnson called “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” The song quickly became popular among African American communities and was later adopted as the “Negro National Anthem.”

In 1916, James Weldon Johnson published The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, a novel based on his own life experiences as a light-skinned African American man who passes for white. The novel was a commercial and critical success, helping to solidify Johnson’s reputation as an important writer of the early 20th century.

Throughout his life, James Weldon Johnson advocated for civil rights and worked tirelessly to promote equality for all Americans, regardless of skin color or racial background. He died in an automobile accident in 1938.

Meaning of the Black National Anthem

The Black National Anthem is a song that was created during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. The song is about the struggles that black people have gone through in America, and how they are still fighting for equality.

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson in 1905. The song was first performed by a 500-person choir at the opening of a two-day Negro History Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. It quickly became popular among black communities and schools across the United States. In 1919, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) designated “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” as its official anthem, and it has been referred to as the Black National Anthem ever since.

Although “The Star-Spangled Banner” is our nation’s official anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” holds a special place in the hearts of black Americans. The lyrics are a powerful call to action that celebrating black history and culture, while also looking to the future with hope and optimism. In recent years, the song has been sung at a number of high-profile events, including President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009 and the funeral of Rev. Clementa Pinckney, one of the victims of the Charleston church shooting in 2015.

James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 17, 1871, the first of four children born to Helen Louise Dillet, a Bahamian who had come to Florida as a child, and James Johnson, a hotel waiter and porter from Jacksonville. James Weldon Johnson’s granduncle George Polgreen Bridgetower had been born in England of an African father and German mother and taken to the West Indies as a young child. His grandfather John Rosemond Johnson was born in Virginia but raised in Savannah, Georgia; he later became one of the first African Americans to graduate from Yale University. James Weldon Johnson’s father died when he was only six years old, and he and his brother were sent to live with their maternal grandmother in Jacksonville.

In 1887, Johnson entered Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama, where he played football and sang in the choir. He graduated with honors in 1894. After briefly working as a bank teller in Atlanta, Georgia, he returned to Jacksonville, where he taught high school English for two years at Stanton College Preparatory School. In 1897, he passed the Florida bar exam and became one of the first African American lawyers in the state.

In 1898, James Weldon Johnson wrote “Lift Every Voice and Sing” for a school celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday; it quickly became known as the “Negro National Anthem.” He also wrote many other poems, songs, essays, and books over his lifetime. In 1900, he married Grace Nellie Turner; the couple had two sons.

In 1916, James Weldon Johnson left Jacksonville to become field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in New York City. He held this position until 1920 when he was elected president of the organization; he served until 1922. During his time with the NAACP, Johnson worked tirelessly to oppose lynching and to promote voting rights for African Americans through education and litigation. He also helped to lead other civil rights campaigns such as those protesting segregated housing (the Harlem Rent Strikes), mass transit (the Silent March), and employment discrimination (the April 1st protests). In addition to his work with the NAACP, Johnson was also a professor at New York University Law School from 1922 until his death in 1938.

James Weldon Johnson died on June 26, 1938, in an automobile accident near Wiscasset, Maine. He was 67 years old.

Significance of the Black National Anthem

The Black National Anthem is an important part of African American history. The song was written by JamesWeldon Johnson in 1900. It was first sung by a group of students at a school in Florida. The anthem became popular during the Civil Rights Movement. It is still sung today to remember the struggles of the past and to celebrate African American culture.

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson in 1905. The poem was first performed as a song at a celebration of Lincoln’s Birthday by a 500-voice choir at the Stanton School, now known as the Old Stanton Grammar School, in Jacksonville, Florida. It quickly became popular among Black churches and school choirs throughout the country.

In 1919, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” was adopted as the official anthem of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1926, it was selected as the negro national anthem by the Nationalannual convention of the National Negro Congress. And in following years, it was sung at events commemorating the Emancipation Proclamation and martyrs of the civil rights movement such as George Washington Carver, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Martin Luther King Jr.

The song is also known informally as “The Black National Anthem” or “The Negro National Anthem.” In 2018, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), then-chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, introduced a resolution to make “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” the national hymn of the United States.

James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson was an educator, lawyer, diplomat, and civil rights activist who is best known for writing the lyrics to “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which has come to be known as the black national anthem.

Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1871 to parents who had been slaves. He was the first member of his family to be born free. Johnson attended universities in Atlanta and New York before graduating from Columbia Law School in 1898.

As a lawyer, Johnson worked on civil rights cases and was active in the Republican Party. In 1900, he founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) with W.E.B. Du Bois and others. He served as the organization’s executive secretary from 1910 to 1920 and then as its president from 1920 to 1930.

During his time with the NAACP, Johnson wrote “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as a poem to be set to music and performed at an event commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. The song quickly became popular among black Americans and is now considered an anthem of the African-American experience.

Johnson also wrote fiction and nonfiction books on topics related to race relations and the Harlem Renaissance, a period of artistic achievement by black Americans in the 1920s. He died in an automobile accident in Maine in 1938.