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Feb 11, 2024 · "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," a song often called the Black national anthem, was sung before the Super Bowl for the fourth year in a row Sunday. This year, Grammy winner Andra Day sang the...
- 52 sec
- NBC Staff
Andra Day performs the Black National Anthem, 'Lift Every Voice and Sing,' moments before the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII.
- 4 min
- Overview
- What is the Black national anthem?
- Who is singing the Black national anthem at the 2024 Super Bowl?
- Full lyrics of "Lift Every Voice and Sing"
Singer Andra Day performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is widely known as the Black national anthem, at the start of the 2024 Super Bowl.
"Lift Every Voice and Sing" has a short Super Bowl history, but the song itself has been around since 1900, when it was first performed by a choir of 500 schoolchildren in Jacksonville, Florida. It was written by James Weldon Johnson, who considered the piece a hymn.
James Weldon Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing," colloquially known as the Black national anthem, was originally written late in 1899, James Weldon Johnson Foundation president Rufus Jones said.
Johnson, a renowned author, educator, lawyer and civil rights activist, set out to write a poem to to commemorate President Abraham Lincoln's birthday, and the piece became a song. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson, composed the music.
James Weldon Johnson referred to the work as a "National Hymn," but his work spread and was later popularized as the Black national anthem.
"At the turn of the 20th century, Johnson's lyrics eloquently captured the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans," according to the NAACP, where Johnson was a leader. "Set against the religious invocation of God and the promise of freedom, the song was later adopted by NAACP and prominently used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s."
Calling the song the Black national anthem has led to some controversy. "America only has ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Why is the NFL trying to divide us by playing multiple!? Do football, not wokeness," Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, tweeted before it was performed at the 2023 Super Bowl.
Jones, however, emphasized that "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was written and popularized decades before "The Star-Spangled Banner" became America's national anthem in 1931.
Andra Day was selected to perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing" at the 2024 Super Bowl. Pregame performances will also include Reba McEntire singing the national anthem and rapper Post Malone with "America the Beautiful."
"Peace & Blessings!!! Performing the Anthem at the SuperBowl yall! Grateful! Thank You God," Day wrote on social media about the news.
There will also be an American Sign Language performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by actor and choreographer Shaheem Sanchez.
The song has been featured ahead of three previous Super Bowls.
Alicia Keys performed the song in a pre-recorded video before the 2021 Super Bowl. The following year, Mary Mary performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing" from outside SoFi stadium at Super Bowl LVI.
And in 2023, Sheryl Lee Ralph did the honors, performing it on the field for the first time before the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
Lift every voice and sing,
'Til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
- aliza.chasan@paramount.com
- CBS News
- Digital Producer
Feb 11, 2024 · "Lift Every Voice and Sing," often referred to as the Black national anthem, will be performed at the Super Bowl for the fourth time in a row, the latest legacy of the traditional song.
Feb 12, 2024 · The NAACP dubbed "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" as the Black national anthem in 1919. Published February 11, 2024 • Updated on February 11, 2024 at 11:36 pm. Andra Day sang “Lift Ev’ry Voice...
