Tune of the Day: Lift Every Voice and Sing “Lift Every Voice and
Sing”, now often called the “Black National Anthem”, was
originally composed as a poem as part of a celebration of
Lincoln's Birthday on February 12, 1900 at the segregated
Stanton School. Its principal, James Weldon Johnson, wrote the
words, which were later set to music by his brother John in
1905. Singing this song quickly became a way for African
Americans to demonstrate their patriotism and hope for the
future. In 1919, the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) adopted the song as “The Negro National
Anthem”. By the 1920s, copies of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
could be found in black churches across the country, often
pasted into the hymnals. During and after the American Civil
Rights Movement, the song experienced a rebirth, and by the
1970s was often sung immediately after “The Star Spangled
Banner” at public events and performances across the United
States where the event had a significant African-American po