“Leaders should be using this moment to unequivocally stand firm against the rise of fascism and white nationalist violence coupled with agenda-setting to help uplift communities across the country.”īelow is a video of John Legend performing his rendition of “Lift Every Voice And Sing” during the virtual commencement exercises hosted by Morehouse School of Medicine in May 2020. “Clyburn’s suggestion isn’t about what is better for Black people it’s about what will make whiteness comfortable,” Changa wrote in response to Clyburn’s proposal last month. But writer Anoa Changa suggested such a move could ultimately betray the true and original intentions of the song. James Clyburn even went so far as to suggest that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” should become America’s national hymn in an effort to heal racial wounds. Since that time, the anthem has been the musical inspiration for generations of Black Americans in the never. But it also sets aside funding for issues stemming from the disproportionate effect that COVID-19 has had on Black people, including the shuttering of Black-owned businesses.Ĭonversely, Biden ally and South Carolina Rep. In 1919, Johnson’s 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' became the official song of the NAACP. Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph kicked off Super Bowl 2023 singing the Black national anthem 'Lift Every Voice and Sing.' Her mane on point with a dramatic sleeve moment in tact, Ralph. takes slow steps to address inequalities facing Black people in all walks of life.Īs a candidate, President Joe Biden named his plan for Black America the “Lift Every Voice” plan addresses some of the stereotypical topics associated with Black people, like gun violence and criminal justice. It’s also gained increasing relevance in recent months amid a purported racial reckoning as the U.S. Today the song is an integral piece of Black patriotism. In 1990, singer Melba Moore released a modern rendition of the song, which she recorded along with others including recording artists Anita Baker, Stephanie Mills, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Brown, Stevie Wonder, Jeffrey Osborne, Howard Hewett BeBe & CeCe and The Clark Sisters. It is heavily performed at predominately African-American venues, especially in Black churches across the nation. Deep symbolism was found in its lyrics, allowing African-Americans to subtly speak against racial bigotry. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand, True to our God, True to our native land.For many African Americans, singing the song was their way of showing patriotism and hope for the future, considering the plight of racism they greatly faced. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way Thou who hast by Thy might, Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chast'ning rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered. 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. 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 it resound loud as the rolling sea. The NAACP adopted 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' as its official song.
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