Lift Every Voice and Sing

Every country and nation has its own anthem. These center on the values that the nation wants to prioritize the most. The song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is known to be the Black national anthem. It was initially a poem written by James Weldon Johnson, but later on, his brother, John Rosamond Johnson, transformed the poem into a song. The first people to perform the song were a group of students celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. The song’s lyrics express overcoming a hard past and a newfound liberty. Over time, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” rose in popularity among the African American community and was eventually referred to as the Black National Anthem. At Wattstax,  “Lift Every Voice and Sing” made the crowd feel like they belonged to a nation, and that they weren’t alone. To this day, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”is a deeply emotional song that represents Black people and is still performed at major events such as the Super Bowl.