NAACP | NAACP History: Lift Every Voice and Sing
Lift Every Voice and Sing – often called "The Black National Anthem" – was written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson () and then set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson () in 1899. It was first performed in public in the Johnsons' hometown of Jacksonville, Florida as part of a celebration of Lincoln's Birthday on February 12, 1900 by a choir ...