As a poem, Lift Every Voice and Sing was originally performed for Booker T. Washington in 1900. Later set to music, it is sometimes called the "African-American National Anthem." This setting

Author and poet James Weldon Johnson wrote the lyrics to "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in 1900, on the occasion of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. His brother, Rosamond, wrote the music. The song became immensely