5/29/2023 0 Comments May we forever standDrawing on a wide array of sources, Perry uses "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as a window on the powerful ways African Americans have used music and culture to organize, mourn, challenge, and celebrate for more than a century. In this rich, poignant, and readable work, Imani Perry tells the story of the Black National Anthem as it traveled from South to North, from civil rights to black power, and from countless family reunions to Carnegie Hall and the Oval Office. Since the song's creation, it has been adopted by the NAACP and performed by countless artists in times of both crisis and celebration, cementing its place in African American life up through the present day. With lyrics penned by James Weldon Johnson and music composed by his brother Rosamond, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was embraced almost immediately as an anthem that captured the story and the aspirations of black Americans. Since then, the song has become an anthem of hope, liberation, and resilience, often referred to as the Black National Anthem. Rosamond Johnson, the song was first performed in 1900 by a choir of 500 African-American children in Jacksonville, Florida. May We Forever Stand tells an essential part of that story. Written by James Weldon Johnson and set to music by his brother, J. The twin acts of singing and fighting for freedom have been inseparable in African American history.
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