![]() Imani Perry’s biography of the song, May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem, offers an insightful look at the Black community’s changing relationship with the hymn, revealing what was important to any given generation. Two important themes emerged in my consciousness at the time: the way the particular history, experience and culture of Black Americans offered a piercing critique of our nation’s collective self-image, demanding that America be what it says it is and the fundamental need for enduring, socially shared meaning to be expressed and passed on through art, ritual and performance. It must have been during my college years that I began to understand the significance of the song-its place in American communal life. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has always been there: in the ether of every Black church attended in Chicago in “the Hills” of north-central Mississippi and in “the Delta,” where the blues and my daddy were born. Not unlike the experience of singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” or reciting the Nicene Creed, it is only possible to pull off the performance in the presence of a congregation that reminds you of the next line. ![]() It is the song sung in the places where our “fathers and mothers had sighed.” The words and melody are eminently familiar to me. It has always been there: in the ether of every Black church attended in Chicago in “the Hills” of north-central Mississippi and in “the Delta,” where the blues and my daddy were born. I may have sung it at every assembly at Hearst Elementary, the all-Black school I attended from ages 3 to 6. I cannot recall a time when I did not sing or at least hear “Lift Every Voice and Sing” or even when I first learned to sing this hallowed hymn. What can this song mean for a nation in peril? The prospect of a new life for this hymn heard in churches and assemblies across the country at once causes me discomfort and piques my interest. Clyburn proposed that “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” popularly accepted as the national anthem of Black people in the United States, be adopted as a new “national hymn”-a symbolic bid to foster healing in a divided nation. Trump’s presidency, House Majority Whip James E. I worry about losing the rituals of belonging and becoming that shape our vastly varying identities and draw us together. This message is also conveyed in The Harp by Augusta Savage.As a child I stood, hand on heart, pledging allegiance to the flag and singing about “bombs bursting in air.” I can never remember which lines come first in our national anthem: “gallantly streaming” or “twilight’s last gleaming”? While these patriotic customs may be more contentious these days I find them valuable, especially now as an adult. The core message of the poem: through strong faith and solidarity, the black community can move forward and reimagine a world where true liberty is achievable. Not only do the lyrics reflect how violence has been inflicted on the black community, but it affirms and encourages the black collective to remain faithful in their vision despite the struggles they have endured over the centuries. Sing a song full of the hope that the presen t has brought usįacing the rising sun of our new day begun,Ĭlick on the link to view original lyrics: Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us The lyrics of Lift Every Voice and Sing serves as a reminder for Black Americans that each generation has had to lift their voices, along with those within their community, to demand and protect their human rights. The sounds the performers emit can be interpreted as their mode of empowerment and shared celebration of liberation.Įmbedded within its lyrics are stories of triumph, struggle, and freedom that resonate deeply for African Americans, especially during the reconstruction and civil rights era. ![]() As the song proceeds, the performers rhythmically stomp and thrust their bodies in unison, and arch their bodies to yell. The choreography consists of performers lined up either in stagnant positions or in synchronized motions.
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