Today is Juneteenth. A holiday that represents “Freedom Day” for all the Black Americans whose family was enslaved here in America. On June 19th, 1865 this was the day the last of the enslaved were told of their freedom following the Emancipation Proclamation. On this day June 19th, 2025, I sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” It’s a song known as the “Black National Anthem.” It was not created on this holiday or for this holiday. It was created by brothers James Weldon and John Rosamond Johnson to honor Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. He is the man who signed the Emancipation Proclamation that inspired this Juneteenth Holiday.
The song itself was created in 1899 by the brothers with a message to uplift Black Americans during the Reconstruction era. This was the name for years following the Emancipation Proclamation. The time when Black Americans sought to create the freedom they wanted for so long. The goal of the time was to create community and advancement in areas such as education, politics, and finance.
The song was initially created for a group of students in Jacksonville, Florida to sing. It was performed on February 12th, 1900, for a Black History Month show on Lincoln’s birthday. But, as time went on, the song began to spread across other areas in the country amongst Black Americans. In 1919, the NAACP gave it the title of the “Black National Anthem.” Fun fact, the “Star Spangled Banner” was not adopted as the American National Anthem until 1931 even though the song itself was written in 1814.
Growing up in the 1990’s, in school we had assembly meetings to hear about school news and receive awards. We would sing both National Anthems and say the Pledge of Allegiance. Even though we sang the abridged version of the Black National Anthem. These songs have both been implanted in my head, but with the decrease of school assembly meetings here in New York City, I feel as if the last 20-25 years of young students do not know the songs. So, on this Freedom Day 2025, I sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and my hope is that in celebration of this holiday we educate others on the song and its history.