LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING- The history and future of the song

[get these nets]

Lift Every Voice.


Black Swan Records was first to record the anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing. From a family's Thanksgiving dinner, we portal through to the song's past, present, and future.



James Weldon Johnson & John Rosamond Johnson

 

[BlackDiBiase]

a little cliff notes nahmean?

going on like this was the first ever song sang i was intrigued.

 

[get these nets]

a little cliff notes nahmean?

going on like this was the first ever song sang i was intrigued.

Special episode of a series about the founder of Black Swan records. Black Swan released Lift Every Voice and Sing as a record in the 1920s.

Two leading African American professors give their thoughts about the history, meaning, and personal connection to the song. One of them has written a book about the song

Imani Perry

The other is currently writing a book about it

Emmett Price III

 

[BlackDiBiase]

Special episode of a series about the founder of Black Swan records. Black Swan released Lift Every Voice and Sing as a record in the 1920s.

Two leading African American professors give their thoughts about the history, meaning, and personal connection to the song. One of them has written a book about the song

Imani Perry


The other is currently writing a book about it

Emmett Price III

ok so it was an iconic song ... heres a little information Harry Belofonte was the first ever person to sell a million records.

you know the song. "day light come and me wanna go home"

i am into dope songs and their original meanings made a thread about it not long ago. one of my goat songs to enjoy is "bukka white - parchman farm" and the history on that is

 

[get these nets]

@xoxodede
Don't know if you've gotten the chance to hear the entire cast. Perry said that the younger generation is largely unaware of this song.

Threw me off to hear that, but as I log on today I see a thread about a rapper not knowing about, and apologizing for rapping violent lyrics over the Strange Fruit song.

Our elementary school principal(s) had us sing the Anthem at EVERY school assembly. We learned about Billie Holiday in music class in middle school.

What do you think is behind the younger generation being disconnected to history like this?

* I give the young rapper credit for acknowledging his ignorance and working to correct it.

 

[xoxodede]

@xoxodede
Don't know if you've gotten the chance to hear the entire cast. Perry said that the younger generation is largely unaware of this song.

Threw me off to hear that, but as I log on today I see a thread about a rapper not knowing about, and apologizing for rapping violent lyrics over the Strange Fruit song.

Our elementary school principal(s) had us sing the Anthem at EVERY school assembly. We learned about Billie Holiday in music class in middle school.

What do you think is behind the younger generation being disconnected to history like this?

* I give the young rapper credit for acknowledging his ignorance and working to correct it.

That's crazy.

Same here. We learned it at school, church and community programs.

Yeah, I am happy the young rapper apologized - but he still doesn't understand that lynching happened after enslavement. I hope someone pulls him aside and educates him more on the topic - whether he decides to release the song or not.

I really don't know about the disconnect -- but possibly being raised by those who didn't know (or didn't care) ... or look at what happened to our families like SO LONG AGO - when it's not.

Like my parents didn't harp on our history - but I was surrounded by it. We had African American Encyclopedias and the Ebony Pictorial History of Black America - and my parents were children of the South. Sharecroppers children and grandchildren.

Meaning, I couldn't go to Alabama in the summers and not know what happened to my family and other Black folks. And I heard about what they went through and what my Grandparents, etc went through all the time.

 

[xoxodede]

I also think Beyonce helped bring the song back to mainstream. Also, educating a new generation on the song. Those who are not growing up learning/singing the song at school.

I know all HBCU's (I think) still sing the song.

 

[get these nets]

That's crazy.

Same here. We learned it at school, church and community programs.

Yeah, I am happy the young rapper apologized - but he still doesn't understand that lynching happened after enslavement. I hope someone pulls him aside and educates him more on the topic - whether he decides to release the song or not.

I really don't know about the disconnect -- but possibly being raised by those who didn't know (or didn't care) ... or look at what happened to our families like SO LONG AGO - when it's not.

Like my parents did harp on our history - but I was surrounded by it. We had African American Encyclopedias and the Ebony Pictorial History of Black America - and my parents were children of the South. Sharecroppers children and grandchildren.

Meaning, I couldn't go to Alabama in the summers and not know what happened to my family and other Black folks. And I heard about what they went through and what my Grandparents, etc went through all the time.

Thanks.
I also cringed when he said " song was about slaves getting lynched".
Everybody has to start somewhere I guess, and we can't expect him to go from rapping about murder yesterday, to understanding Reconstruction and Jim Crow era terrorism today.

Hope others reach out to him and help to give him a better understanding of the topic, and about that period of history.

*Our school principals were AA, and they made sure every student knew the words to that song.

 

[invalid]

@xoxodede
Don't know if you've gotten the chance to hear the entire cast. Perry said that the younger generation is largely unaware of this song.

Threw me off to hear that, but as I log on today I see a thread about a rapper not knowing about, and apologizing for rapping violent lyrics over the Strange Fruit song.

Our elementary school principal(s) had us sing the Anthem at EVERY school assembly. We learned about Billie Holiday in music class in middle school.

What do you think is behind the younger generation being disconnected to history like this?

* I give the young rapper credit for acknowledging his ignorance and working to correct it.

We sung Lift Every Voice and Sing in lieu of the pledge of allegiance every black history month in elementary school. And I went to a predominantly white elementary school. We even had an end of the month black history program of which it was sung and all the white parents in attendance would get up and sing along, so this is kind of astonishing.

Growing up in Jack and Jill, this was stuff we had to know. We had to know black history because many of our families forged it. We had to know who was who, who did what, and who was related to whom.

On another note, I saw a note of the granddaughter of John Rosamond Johnson conversing with Peter Pace. She reached out to him after listening to this podcast and she gave him some info he didn’t have about the song and recording.

 

[get these nets]

We sung Lift Every Voice and Sing in lieu of the pledge of allegiance every black history month in elementary school. And I went to a predominantly white elementary school. We even had an end of the month black history program of which it was sung and all the white parents in attendance would get up and sing along, so this is kind of astonishing.

Growing up in Jack and Jill, this was stuff we had to know. We had to know black history because many of our families forged it. We had to know who was who, who did what, and who was related to whom.

On another note, I saw a note of the granddaughter of John Rosamond Johnson conversing with Peter Pace. She reached out to him after listening to this podcast and she gave him some info he didn’t have about the song and recording.

Good to hear. The late LOG spoke about how important history was, and how deeply it was stressed to children in those circles.
My first comment in your Powerful Black Families thread was acknowledging having to respect the accomplishments of members of that set. The children are raised/groomed to continue those achievements and accomplishments.
Also good to hear that others learned and recited the Anthem. If you live in America, it's part of your history too. White, Asian, Latino, Carib./African

Wasn't aware that JWJ's brother had children. Thanks,

 

[get these nets]

NFL opening game 9/09/21

 

[get these nets]

Reaction to Nebraska adding the anthem to pre game.

 

[get these nets]

:;

 

[get these nets]

*ironic that Billie Holiday's name was brought up earlier in the thread. That was her breakthrough role.