Lift Every Voice and Sing 2025 Widely acclaimed as the Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing was initially written as a poem James Weldon Johnson in 1899. J. Rosamond Johnson, composed the music for the poem, and the hymn was first performed on February 12, 1900, by 500 students from Edwin M. Stanton School in their hometown of Jacksonville, FL. In 2025, history will repeat itself here in North Florida as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the historic performance.
February 17, 2025