African-American heritage is complex. There are deep, dark valleys – the middle passage, slavery and segregation. And then there are many hills and mountains proclaiming the heights Blacks have reached in America, and persons who have changed the country – emancipation; the Civil Rights Era; Martin Luther King; and President Barack Obama.
The NFL began having a singer perform “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” before the Super Bowl in 2020, in the wake of racial and social justice protests following the death of George Floyd. The song, which expresses the hills and valleys of a people, is widely known as the Black national anthem and was written in 1900 for schoolchildren to perform at an Abraham Lincoln birthday celebration.
“What is this text doing with us?” asked Dr. Joy Jittaun Moore during the recent “Lift Every Voice and Sing” symposium held at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. “It is an invitation to community, which acknowledges the pain of dehumanization, and honestly expresses brokenness.
“We’re part of a community who have rested ourselves in hope.”
Author James Weldon Johnson was the principal of a school for Black children in Florida when he wrote the lyrics and his brother, Rosamond, wrote the music to the song that is sung every Black History Month and Juneteenth. Many feel it should be sung more often.
“Sing a song, full of the faith that the dark past has taught us.
Sing a song, full of the hope that the present has brought us.”
This year honors the 125th anniversary of the hymn, which is deeply rooted in African-American cultural heritage, spirit and unity. The Museum of the Bible’s one-day program featured panels of scholars, musicians and artists to explore the hymn’s lasting cultural impact.
Ovella Davis played the Hammond B3 organ with a Leslie speaker. Many Black churches are familiar with that combination, which emits a decibel range which can be spiritually felt, more than heard. It moans, swells and sometimes seems as if it talks back to the preacher.
But Davis admits that “Lift Ev’ry Voice” was intended for a different instrument.
“It is a call of inclusiveness,” Davis said of the song. “Its call is directed to the first human instrument: the voice.”
“Let our rejoicing rise, High as the listening skies, Let it resound, loud as the rolling sea.”
The song takes singers on a poetic journey through his purposeful intention in the text, panelists agreed.
“It tells us to ‘resound’ – to fill the space with sound,” Davis said. “Sing as high as the listening skies – I believe that is a poetic way that conveys: reach the highest point possible. Reach at a level that extends beyond and surpasses all earthly limitations.
“I believe James Weldon Johnson expresses a limitless celebration of freedom and justice,” Davis said.
Pastor of Always in Jesus’ Presence Ministries in Detroit, Davis is also the founder of The United Communities of America (UCOA), whose mission and focus are the reduction of crime through the promotion of peace, healing, and positive change.
In 2018, UCOA launched a new youth violence prevention program, “Students for Peace” in two Detroit high schools, with both schools reporting significant reductions in violence, bullying, and altercations.
Davis said that with all the turmoil and strife in the world, adults are dealing with a generation who don’t even believe there is a God.
“We have to introduce love to them,” she said.
Many of the guest speakers remembered being taught “Lift Ev’ry Voice” in schools and churches, by Black teachers who shared the meaning of the hymn with students.
“We are living in a time when the next generation needs to know about the struggle,” Davis said. “Be intentional about sharing it.”
Panelist Stephen Michael Newby agreed.
“At a certain point, we have to be responsible for doing it ourselves, as we’re living in an era where DEI and diversity and all these things are being removed and taken away, we cannot count on the school systems or other entities or structures to maintain these things.
“We must take it upon ourselves and say ‘these are my grandkids, I’m going to talk about it. This is my Sunday school class, come on, let’s talk about it.”
Newby holds the Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship and is a professor of music at Baylor University, where he also serves as Ambassador for the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program.
He stated that it is our responsibility to engage, not just African-Americans, but all communities. Doing that will create ambassadors who are aware of Black history, and can be voices in other communities. Please visit www.ourweekly.com to read more.
