LIFT EVERY VOICE The voices of 500 African American of the Stanton School in Jacksonville children rang out across the schoolyard Florida It was February 12 1900 The Florida It was February 12 1900 The school was celebrating President Abraham school was celebrating President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday The singers dedicated their performance to African American civil rights leader Booker T Washington The school had originally asked principal James Weldon Johnson to write a speech to honor Lincoln But James came up with a new idea He decided to write a poem He discussed his idea with his brother J Rosamond Johnson Rosamond taught music The Stanton School opened in 1869 and educated hundreds of African American students
BOOKER T WASHINGTON Booker T Washington was born into slavery in 1856 After the American Civil War 1861 1865 Washington was educated at the Hampton Institute in Virginia He was a bright student He was also a talented speaker and teacher In 1881 Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama African American men and women who attended the school earned an academic education They also learned job and life skills Today Washington’s school is called Tuskegee University at a college in south Florida The brothers decided to write a song for the schoolchildren to sing James would write the poem Rosamond would set it to music They called their song Lift Every Voice and Sing In the end the song was not about Lincoln It instead celebrated the endurance of African Americans in the face of inequality The Johnson brothers understood that the work they did served a greater purpose They believed the purpose of their work was to promote equality and build a sense of community among African Americans
James Weldon Johnson was both a writer and an activist SLAVERY AND SEGREGATION In 1900 people of African descent were no longer enslaved in the United States The American Civil War had brought an end to slavery But African Americans
