The Black National Anthem???

The song you refer to "Lift Every Voice and Sing", is not new, now was it written to be a seperate anthem or to imply wanting to be seperated from the United States, and it actually started out as poem written by James Weldon Johnson, and was put to music by his brother John Rosamnond Johnson, so it could be sung at a birthday celebration honoring President Abraham Lincoln in 1900. The celebration was at the Stanton School in Florida, of which Mr. Johnson was the principal. Later the song was adopted by many blacks as a way to show allegiance to the United States, while at the same time protesting racism, lynchings, and segregation laws that were happening at that time in the South. Ususally when it's sung, it's immediately following the National Anthem, as it was at both of my graduation ceremonies, and for the same reasons. Part of the first verse: "Lift every voice and sing, 'Til earth and heaven ring. Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on 'til victory is won." The song was entered into the Congressional Record as the official African American National Hymn, in part due to the success of a modern recording of the song in 1990 by singer Melba Moore, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick and other artists.

Wow, this is just.. I don't know what it is! Unbelievable. I also always thought that the national anthem was for all of us, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, etc. This kinda seems like it's trying to separate groups of people. I don't believe in talking about black americans and white americans and hispanic americans,etc.. I wish we could all just be content being AMERICANS. Yes, we have our differences, but so do the people within those groups, I know for sure that I'm not like every other white girl in America.. yet I'm not asking for my own personal anthem, hmm... what about a punk rocker national anthem... see, it just doesn't make sense. haha Or to be a little closer to this actual issue I can be even more realistic! What if men and woman decided tomorrow, oh, now we want separate national anthems. That would NEVER happen. This just bothers me, people fought so hard to end segregation, and this kinda seems like a form of segregation to me, maybe not as extreme or as bad, but it is still separating one group of Americans from the rest. This is just sad. But you know, it doesn't affect me.. and doesn't hurt me. It just confuses me.

Why are we all still separating ourselves from each other into groups? I thought we were one big happy country! Guess not. Wish we could be. Maybe it's just wishful thinking. But I like the idea that everyone unites under one flag. United we stand. What the heck happened to that?

You are very brave gal! Very brave indeed! However I stand right behind you in this because I don't think it's right either. If I get bashed for it then so be it but I'm NOT backing down! This is MY country TOO and I disagree with ANY race separating themselves for one reason or another! It's the same with Black Colleges and Black History Month and so on. Why not have White Colleges and White History Month and so on? I thought we are all created equal? Then why are we having these separations in our country? I don't get it either! Such a disgrace!!

In the march towards universalism one must encounter difficulties arising from small, petty ideas. America is a great country not in the way that it is a country with only one race or ethnicity but because it is a melting pot of different cultures. Before reaching universalism we must first achieve humanism where we begin to feel our humanity more strongly than our ethnicity. Everyone is lost, struggling to find the right way but I believe that the future is bright, holding the promise of Universality where we feel connected to all, not just humans but everything else. Black feeling once achieved, will pave the way to American feeling and hopefully lead to Human feeling and finally to Universal feeling. Cheers!!

Every race is EQUAL. There should be no separation. We should unite and help each other to better ourselves. The human race will not grow to become better if everyone is worried about what color you are or where you are from. I feel that the Black National Anthem is just hurting us instead of helping us.