Penned by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), a poet, author and activist affiliated with the Harlem Renaissance, and set to music ... lyrics are surprisingly optimistic: “Lift every voice and ...

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” was a hymn written as a poem ... His brother, John Rosamond Johnson, composed the music for the lyrics. A choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton ...

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" is a hymn with lyrics written by James Weldon Johnson ... Johnson's brother composed the music for the hymn, which was initially written as a poem.