American national anthem lyrics youtube
“I hope I can survive and see it passed.” “Ever since I've been in the Congress, I've been trying to come up with enough nerve to introduce a national hymn,” Clyburn said this month during a Journal-isms Roundtable, a private discussion for journalists of color. The four-page bill, obtained by USA TODAY, cites the song’s history and calls it a “beloved hymn.” Last month, he asked his staff to craft legislation. “The plight of African Americans is a central part of American history.” Clyburn had to build up the nerveĬlyburn said he considered the measure for decades. “It really should become a piece that we as a nation recognize and honor for what it means, not just for African Americans, but for Americans,” Williams said. It was first performed in public by school children in 1900 at a birthday celebration honoring President Abraham Lincoln, according to the NAACP. "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson, an NAACP leader, in 1899 and put to music by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson. More: How civil rights leader James Clyburn helped Joe Biden and Black America win the White House Song comes out of history of pain “It’s a very popular song that is steeped in the history of the country,” he said. “I don’t want that to happen here,’’ he said.Ĭlyburn said the effort is far more than symbolic, saying he aims to add weight to it as a national hymn.
“It’s symbolically notable for Black people, but in the larger scheme of things, this isn’t going to put food on people’s table, it’s not going to increase people’s pay,” said Michael Fauntroy, a political scientist at Howard University in Washington.įauntroy said he worries some people, particularly African Americans, can overstate the importance of symbolic victories and substitute them for more structural changes.
Some experts and historians said the legislative push is more about symbolism and would do little to address systemic problems plaguing communities of color. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died. Capitol last Wednesday that sent lawmakers scrambling to secure locations and police clamoring to protect them. It also comes on the heels of a deadly attack by supporters of President Donald Trump on the U.S. The push comes at a time of social unrest, particularly protests over police killings of unarmed Black men and women, and the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus on communities of color. For decades, it has been sung in Black communities at school plays, awards programs, graduations and church services. Clyburn said it's time for it to be sung in other communities. The song is an important part of African American culture and history. “The gesture itself would be an act of healing. It would say to people, ‘You aren’t singing a separate national anthem, you are singing the country’s national hymn,’” said Clyburn, the highest-ranking Black American in Congress. “To make it a national hymn, I think, would be an act of bringing the country together. James Clyburn, D-S.C., wants a song about faith and resilience long revered in the Black community to become the national hymn and help unite the country after centuries of racial turmoil.Ĭlyburn, the House majority whip, plans to introduce a measure as early as this week that would make “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known as the Black national anthem, the national hymn and give it a special place alongside the country’s anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." Watch Video: 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' ignites hope across US