The Black National Anthem: A Short History and Reflection.

It has been a while since I wrote my last blog. With the launch of The Middle Ground Podcast in the coming weeks, I thought it would be a great idea to resurrect this blog as well. Since I will have the podcast deep-dive into some heavy topics, I want to keep my blog entries on the shorter side.

About a week and a half ago, the National Football League made an announcement that sparked some controversy among the nation. The NFL announced that the “Black National Anthem” would prelude the singing of the American National Anthem in each NFL game during the first week of the season.

Many people were thrown off by the word “black” or “national” in the title. Ironically enough, the title of the song is “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” I thought now would be a good time to go over a short history of the piece so that if anyone wants to respond in anger to the NFL’s announcement, they can at least have a reason for their anger. Well, maybe…

Here is a historical overview on the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

• The text of Lift Every Voice and Sing was written by James Weldon Johnson sometime before February 1900.

• The text was set to music sometime before February 1900 by Johnson’s brother, J. Rosamond Johnson.

• The text and music was written to be performed by 500 black students from The Stanton School in Jacksonville, FL. The debut of this song was part of an event that would celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. This event took place in February 1900

• According to J.W. Johnson, the song began to spread rapidly within the next 20 years, and it was widely known as, in his words, “The Negro National Hymn”

• The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) would make Lift Every Voice and Sing “it’s” official song in 1919. Sometime thereafter, it would come to be known as the “Black National Anthem.”

Some Historical Relevant Info:

• The text of The Star Spangled Banner was written in 1814

• Although it would be widely recognized by most of the military branches at the turn of the century, it was not recognized as the National Anthem until an executive order was written by President Woodrow Wilson deeming it as such in 1916.

• The Star Spangled Banner would formally become the official National Anthem of the U.S in March 1931, when the executive order was confirmed by an act passed by Congress.

Fun Fact:

• The Johnson brothers had completely forgotten about “Lift Every Voice and Sing” shortly after the debut performance in 1900. Soon after the debut performance, the brothers would move to the north. It wasn’t until their return to the south that they would realize the impact the song had on people of color.

My quick thoughts and reflections

• I find it interesting that, at some point after 1920, the author referred to the song as “The Negro National Hymn.” It is clear in his writings that many people around him referred to the piece this way as well. I certainly prefer “Negro National Hymn” over “Black National Anthem. However, “negro” can be substituted with “black” in order to ease the awkwardness of my caucasian friends.

• I fInd it really interesting that after World War I, both President Wilson and the NAACP felt the need to create a “National Anthem” of some sorts. Regardless of what people think now, it is clear that America (or "White America") and "Black America" were two different Americas back then. I think this idea should be explored more.

• Lift Every Voice and Sing is the NAACP’s National Anthem, not the Black version of the American national anthem. After all, the “N” in “NAACP” stands for “national…”

• The song is not exclusive. If one were to do a quick google search of the tune rather than reading a quippy click-baity headline of an “article,” they will find that the first line of the song is “Lift EVERY Voice and Sing.” In many regards, this is not dissimilar to the Canadian National Anthem in that anyone can sing it if they can stand “on guard” with the song’s message.

As with all my blogs, this is solely my opinion. I do not want to pretend to have the absolute “right answer.” I am speaking to myself as much as I am speaking to others. It is okay to disagree with me, and I welcome discourse. My only request is that every word of each blog is weighed heavily and considered before agreeing or disagreeing with the points presented in each entry. Please keep in mind that I am a Christian, so my beliefs and opinions will be influenced by my faith. I will upload blogs every Friday. If you would like to suggest a topic for me to cover, you can do so via Facebook or twitter. You can follow me on twitter @mjeromebell #themiddlegroundblog

#blog #racism #blacknationalanthem #BlackLivesMatter #lifteveryvoiceandsing