Lift Every Voice and Sing
/lɪft ˌevri vɔɪs ən ˈsɪŋ/
/lɪft ˌevri vɔɪs ən ˈsɪŋ/
- a popular song that is often called the 'African-American National Anthem'. It was written in 1900 for Lincoln's Birthday celebrations by James Weldon Johnson, a writer who was the first African American to be leader of the NAACP (1916-30), with music by his brother J Rosamond Johnson. The song begins: “Lift every voice and sing,Till earth and heaven ring,Ring with the harmonies of Liberty.Let our rejoicing riseHigh as the list'ning skies,Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.”