The History Behind the Song

“Life Every Voice & Sing”

The Negro National Anthem

In 1919, the NAACP adopted "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as its official song.

Lift Every Voice & SingBy James Weldon Johnson & John Rosamond Johnson

“LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING”

Lift every voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of liberty;

Let our rejoicing rise, high as the list’ning skies, Let is resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

Let us march on till victory is won.

The Negro National Anthem “Life Every Voice & Sing”

Words by James Weldon Johnson

Music by John Rosamond Johnson

James Weldon Johnson & John Rosamond Johnson

The Negro National Anthem “Life Every Voice & Sing”

In 1900, John Rosamond collaborated with his brother, James Weldon Johnson to create the song, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," that became known as the "Negro National Anthem." John Rosamond wrote the music and James Weldon composed the lyrics.

Composer, Conductor, Actor1873 - 1954

The Negro National Anthem “Life Every Voice & Sing”

In 1916 James Weldon Johnson joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He worked there for almost 15 years. Johnson was also the first black secretary of the NAACP. Among his major achievements with this organization are: sparking the drive behind the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill in 1921, leading the fight against the lily-white primary which made it illegal for Blacks to be denied participation in southern primary elections.

Composer, Conductor, Actor, Professor & Activist 1871 - 1938

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG“LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING”The brothers sent the song to their New York publisher and thought little

more about it. But the public found it hard to forget. Children in the South and eventually throughout the United States continued to sing it. "The lines of this song repay me in elation, almost of exquisite anguish, whenever I hear them sung by Negro children," James Johnson wrote in 1935.

And it became a popular selection for church choirs -- a tradition that continues today.

James Johnson went on to write a novel, Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. He also composed poetry and, with Rosamond, turned out over 200 songs for the stage. James also was appointed U.S. consul to Venezuela and later Nicaragua. In 1920, he became executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP adopted "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as its official song.

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG“LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING”The year was 1900 and Johnson was a principal in

Jacksonville, Fla. He was asked to speak at an Abraham Lincoln birthday celebration, but instead of speaking he decided to write a poem. With time running short, plans changed again and James asked his brother, music teacher J. Rosamond Johnson, to help him write a song.

James Johnson recalled that near the end of the first stanza, when the following two lines came to him, "the spirit of the poem had taken hold of me."

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught usSing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us

CONT.

The Negro National Anthem “Life Every Voice & Sing” The hymn, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is known as the

national anthem for African Americans. It places emphasis on the history of people of color which includes many triumphs and struggles. This great song is known across the world, but the history behind the song’s creation and first performance is often known. Therefore, read the lyrics and reflect on the meaning of this hymn for people of color.

The Negro National Anthem “Life Every Voice & Sing” James Weldon Johnson was born in 1871 in Jacksonville,

Florida. He was a poet, lyricist, lawyer, government official,

and a lover of the spirituals. He was the first African American to be admitted to the Florida bar in 1897. He and his younger brother, John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954), a musician, wrote musical comedies and operas. But their best known composition is “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” This song was written as a special tribute to honor almost forty years of freedom for people of color in America. It was first performed by a children’s choir as a church program on February 12, 1900.

The Negro National Anthem “Life Every Voice & Sing” James Weldon Johnson went on to become United States

Consul to Venezuela in 1906 and to Nicaragua in 1909. In 1913, he became the editor of the New York Age. He was also very active in the NAACP. Other writings of Johnson include God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse in 1927. Black Manhattan in 1930, and Negro Spirituals in 1925. Johnson died in 1938.

The United States Postal Service issued a 22 cents commemorative stamp (the eleventh in the Black Heritage Series) in his honor in 1988.