Monday, February 12, 2024

Yes, I LOVE 'Lift Every Voice' -- however . . .



I first heard (and sang) "Lift Every Voice" when I taught fifth grade in the inner city in Camden. It's a beautiful song -- a lovely song!

I don't wanna age myself, but -- what the hell, it was 1969, the school was predominantly Black and it was named after Camden's first NAACP president. The song has pretty much always been identified with the Black experience, the civil rights movement and the NAACP and it's not widely known beyond that realm in the way, let's say "God Bless America" is.

No song should be termed any type of hyphenated national American anthem. Not even God Bless America or America The Beautiful or The Battle Hymn of the Republic (also a tribute to Lincoln) or whatever. So, lift every voice and sing "Oh say can you see . . . . "

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