The NAACP dubbed it the Black national anthem in 1919. In 2020, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is being sung at nationwide protests against racial injustice. Civil rights leaders say the song's message of faithfulness, freedom and equality still resonates.
LOS ANGELES — The Black national anthem was born more than a century ago, but the popular hymn within the African American community called “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has resurrected a beacon of hope during nationwide protests.
“I saw whites singing that song saying ‘No justice, no peace’ and ‘’Black Lives Matter.’ It’s something I didn’t see early in my career or even 15 years ago,” recalled Rev. Al Sharpton while protesters in Minneapolis in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. “You got to see people other than us appreciating our song, our anthem. This is just not a moment. This is a real movement.”
During the civil rights movement, the song was popular during protests with the likes of “We Shall Overcome” and “Amazing Grace,” which was written by former slave trader John Newton but his song helped define racial equality.” enduring several generations speaks volumes. last month at the historic Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The same happened in Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore and Minneapolis.“The song is a refreshment and renewal of my faith,” said Young, the civil rights leader and former Atlanta mayor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He said the singing of the song at protests shows how “desegregation of America is really the integration of cultures, ideals, energies and spirituality.
Along with the protest, the staying power of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” into broader audiences can also be credited to the biggest entertainers and political figures who have referenced it.the song in front of a mostly white audience at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in 2018. The late Rev.
Rev. Markel Hutchins said Biden’s reference to the song and hearing white Americans singing the lyrics has given him “hope and confidence, although we’re in a dark place as a nation today.”
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