"Lift Every Voice and Sing" is widely recognized as the Black national anthem. It was originally written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 to commemorate Abraham Lincoln's birthday. The music was composed by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson. The song was first performed by a choir of 500 schoolchildren at the Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida, where James Weldon Johnson was principal. It eloquently captures the struggles and hopes of Black Americans, especially during the era of segregation and the civil rights movement. The NAACP officially declared it the "Negro national anthem" in 1919, and it became a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The song symbolizes faith, freedom, unity, and the historical journey of African Americans from slavery to hope and liberty.
