Poem turned song, national anthem

Joshua T. Andrzejewski
Assistant Editor

   The Black National Anthem" began as a poem written by James Weldon Johnson around the turn of the 20th century.
   "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" was set to music by his brother, John Rosamond, in 1900 in commemoration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. African-Americans around the country identified with the song, finding it a stirring piece of work.
   Within 15 years, it had come to be known as "The Negro National Anthem."
   Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1871 and spent his life working to enrich African-American culture and expand the role of blacks in the United States, both politically and socially.
   He earned his law degree and became the first black man to be admitted to the Florida Bar Association. He was also a principal, poet, professor and publisher, was deeply involved in the Harlem renaissance and, in 1895, helped found the Daily American, the first black daily newspaper in America.
   He had graduated from Atlanta University only one year earlier and became principal of the Stanton School, where he had received a good deal of his education.
   During this time, he also studied law and opened his own practice. However, he soon tired of this work and, when his brother graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music, they began to work together on songs Johnson provided the words while Rosamond supplied the music.
   By 1900, the brothers lived in New York, where they were able to work on Broadway musicals including "Humpty Dumpty" and "The Sleeping Beauty." It was during this time that they created "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," which was performed by a choir of children in honor of President Lincoln's birthday.
   The work would come to be adopted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as the "Negro National Anthem" about 20 years later.
   Between the years 1906 and 1912, Johnson went on to become a United States ambassador to the countries of Venezuela, Nicaragua and the Azores.
   In 1912, he wrote his first major novel, "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man," which sold poorly until the 1920s and the Harlem Renaissance.
   From 1916 to 1931, Johnson was an active member of the NAACP and became the first black secretary of the organization. While there, he helped get the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill of 1921 passed and also fought against disenfranchisement of blacks in the South.
   Johnson became professor of creative literature at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., in 1930 and, while there, wrote his autobiography.
   In June 1938, he was killed in a car accident. His funeral was attended by nearly 2,000 people.
   Johnson's life was one dedicated to making the United States a better place for all people. He was a man who never gave up on faith and held fast to hope.
   The words of his poem say it all: "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."
   For more information, visit www.africanamericans.com.

The Black National Anthem
   Lift ev’ry 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 it 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.

First verse only. To see the entire song, visit: www.black-network.com/anthem.htm

Tell a friend about this article