The title of the song written by James Weldon Johnson and his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, stand tall on one end of the park honoring the men at their birthplace in Jacksonville's historic LaVilla community. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on January 30, 2025 at 6:03 pm
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Perhaps the most famous song ever written in Jacksonville was a call to action when it was written. Sharon Coon says that remains true today, as “Lift Every Voice and Sing” approaches its 125th anniversary.
Coon is the founder of the nonprofit Friends of the Brentwood Library, which is collaborating with historians, musicians, pastors, educators and volunteers to produce five days of celebration and education to coincide with the 125th anniversary of the first public performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
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James Weldon Johnson wrote the lyrics as a poem in 1899. His brother John Rosamond Johnson produced the music that turned an poem into the Black National Anthem.
Local celebrations will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 12, when the Jacksonville Main Library will host conversations about Black voter suppression, the legacy of Harry T. and Harriette Moore, as well as the impact of the Dozier School for Boys. The highlight of the day will be a 500-child performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the Bethel Church, where J. Rosamond Johnson once served as the pianist and music director.
“Their heritage went from Jacksonville to international,” Coon says. “Their background in education and their background in all the careers that they were able to accomplish started at home with their mom (Helen Louise Dillet), who was the first Black public educator in the state and their father (James) was a minister. They prepared them to face the challenges of this world and built the confidence that nothing would come their way that they could not accomplish or get through.”
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Because James Weldon Johnson was a poet, lawyer, educator and journalist – his newspaper The Daily American was the first geared toward Black Americans – organizers of the local celebration wanted to platform people who authentically reflect on Black history and issues of the present.
Thursday’s events include a discussion about the impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1968 Fair Housing Act and the African American music diaspora.
Friday will feature Jacksonville activist and historian Rodney L. Hurst’s reflections on surviving Ax Handle Saturday, when an angry mob attacked young Black demonstrators sitting at a whites-only lunch counter in Downtown Jacksonville.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, a youth piano competition at the Main Library will be held in honor of the musicianship of J. Rosamond Johnson.
Earlier this month, Hurst reminded a Jacksonville audience at the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” served as a beacon for oppressed people during a dark period in American history.
The James Weldon Johnson chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History is among the local groups that plan to participate. Its President Hazel Gillis could hardly contain her glee Wednesday ahead of the February celebration.
“I can’t even describe it,” Gillis says. “It’s going to be extraordinary because we partner with other organizations like the Friends of Brentwood. We are coming together as a unit to make sure that it is special.”
Gillis recalls that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was part of her morning devotional during her childhood.
Scores of people, of all races, were introduced to the song as children. That was the case for James Lee Coon Jr. in the 1980s. When he was 10, he implored his mother to do what she could to ensure more people in Jacksonville knew about James Weldon Johnson’s impact. Coon Jr. was a 19-year-old University of North Florida student when he was murdered in January 1995.
James Weldon Johnson Park is across the street from Jacksonville City Hall, the former location of the St. James Hotel, a lodging facility that was once the largest in the Southeast, and where James Johnson served as head waiter at one point in his life.
“We have to keep sharing the story. Because, to tell you the truth, it’s a shame that a lot of people don’t even know the lyrics to ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’” Coon says. “We have a lot of teaching, we have a lot of work to do. Black history is important. Our heritage is important. But our kids don’t know it. The parents don’t know it. We have a great responsibility as a community to teach them.”
This year will be the 100th time Black history will be celebrated in February. Carter G. Woodson chose the month to celebrate Negro History Week in 1926 because it was when Abraham Lincoln was born and believed to be the month Frederick Douglass was born.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People selected Feb. 12, 1909, as its founding date in homage to Lincoln. James Weldon Johnson, who moved to New York after his brief tenure as principal at Stanton High School, served as the national organization’s executive secretary during its earliest years.
“They think Black history is one month,” Coon told Gillis as the pair sat at a table Wednesday at James Weldon Johnson Park. “It’s 12 months out of the year.”
