Lift Every Voice and Sing

In February 1900, five hundred schoolchildren in Jacksonville, Florida, sang a new song their principal had written for Lincoln's birthday. That song was "Lift Every Voice and Sing," and within two decades the NAACP had named it the Black National Anthem, the title it still carries.

Origins

The song began as a poem written by the writer and activist James Weldon Johnson in late 1899. His brother, the composer J. Rosamond Johnson, subsequently set the words to music in 1900. It was first performed publicly on February 12, 1900, by a chorus of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida, where James Weldon Johnson served as the principal. The performance was part of a celebration marking Abraham Lincoln's birthday. The NAACP officially adopted the song as the Negro National Anthem in 1919.

Meaning & Interpretation

The lyrics are filled with metaphors of journey, struggle, and eventual triumph over adversity. The first stanza calls for a collective song of liberty, comparing the sound of rejoicing to the listening skies and the rolling sea. It acknowledges a difficult past while looking forward to a future of equality and justice. Unlike standard national anthems that often focus on military battles, this hymn emphasizes moral resilience, faith, and the collective hope of a community working toward freedom.

Who wrote the song Lift Every Voice and Sing?

The lyrics were written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson, and the music was composed by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson. The brothers collaborated on the piece in Jacksonville, Florida, to provide a celebratory song for their school's students.