In 1900, James Weldon Johnson wrote a poem to be recited by a group of school children in Jacksonville, Florida at a celebration honoring Abraham Lincoln's birthday. His brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, set the words to music. Five hundred children sang it for the first time that February day.
The song spread across the South through Black schools, churches, and community gatherings. By 1919, the NAACP had adopted it as the official "Negro National Anthem." It was sung at civil rights marches, in barbershops, at family reunions, at graduations, and before football games at HBCUs across the country.
The three verses move through celebration, remembrance, and prayer — mirroring the arc of Black life in America. The first verse looks forward with hope. The second acknowledges the brutal road traveled. The third asks for the strength to stay true. Together, they hold the full weight and beauty of the Black American experience.
Over a century later, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" continues to be sung at inaugurations, national events, and in living rooms. It is not just a song — it is a covenant between generations.