LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING

I grew up singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The song was written in 1900 by the brothers Johnson (not those of “Strawberry Letter 23” fame), James Weldon and John Rosamond Johnson.  In 1919, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) proclaimed it to be the Black National Anthem.  I had memorized this song, much like the Pledge of Allegiance and the Star-Spangled Banner. I understood the ideal behind the three. But it was a dispassionate understanding born of innocence and inexperience.  And like so many other things in my life, with age and knowledge, I have a newfound understanding for the lyrics in this song. As a result, the song now it evokes a visceral emotional response. This is why I named my blog, “Lift Every Voice.”

There are many reasons the song resonates with me today.  I did not appreciate the battle for Civil Rights as a child.  Yet now more than a century later, many of the rights won by Whites and Blacks in the generation before me are under attack.  I also understand these rights are human rights. The right to earn a living. To have housing. To have food. To have health insurance. What started as Civil Rights for Blacks, led to decades of improvements for all women, non-Whites, seniors, those with disabilities, the poor and middle-class Americans. The list goes on and on. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is not a barrier to merit-based systems but is needed to ensure merit-based systems actually exist, and for more than just a few. Through DEI everyone’s voice can be heard.

We should lift every voice every day. Not just in designated weeks and months. Our history is American history. In the words of Langston Hughes, “I, too, am America.”