Lift Every Voice And Sing

[Music]

we’re going to perform

lift every voice and sing which is

considered

the black national anthem

when they first started calling it the

black national anthem it was the negro

national anthem it’s something that

we grew up with he and i grew up in

different parts of the country that were

married

but black people grew up knowing this

as our national anthem

is called lift every voice and sing

dave who’s the educator we’ll give you a

little more information

about the origins and dates

lift every voice and sing was actually

started out as a poem by james weldon

johnson

and in 1899 which i just said that year

because that was the year of the birth

of duke ellington the great duke

ellington

his brother jay rosamond johnson

put the poem to music and in

1900 there was a youth choir that

performed it

naacp decided to adopt it

as the negro national anthem or the

black national anthem as we

say today we’re going to actually

perform it for you

in a i’ve never seen it in this

combination before

saxophone and voice so we’re all going

to get something new today

hope you enjoy it

[Music]

lift every voice

and sing

till earth and heaven

ring ring with the harmony

[Music]

let our rejoicing

rise high as the

listening skies

let it resound

loud as the road

linksy

sing a song

full of the faith that the dark past has

taught us singing a

song full of the hope that

the present has brought

facing the rising

sun of a new day

begun

let us march on till

victory

is one stoney

the road we

tried bitter the chasing

rot felt in the days

when hope unborn

had died yet with a steady

beat have not a weary

feet come to the place

for which are far

the side

we have come

over the path that with tears have been

watered

we have come

treading our steps through the blood of

the

[Laughter]

slaughtered

out from

here we will stand

at last

our bright life

is cast

[Music]

god of life we

[Music]

god of our silent tears

god who has brought

us thus

far on

our way thou who

has by thy

might let us into

the light

may we forever

[Music]

stray from the places oh

lord where we met thee

[Music]

last our

hearts drunk with the wine of the

world we forget

this

shadow beneath thy

hand may we forever

stand true to

our god true to

our names

[Applause]

oh

[Music]

you