“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” a civil rights hymn that speaks to the faith and resilience of African Americans, was sung for the first time in 1900 at the height of segregation and lynching.
A century later, Rep. James Clyburn is introducing a bill in Congress to make it the official national hymn, alongside the national anthem.
“To make it a national hymn, I think, would be an act of bringing the country together. It would say to people, ‘You aren’t singing a separate national anthem, you are singing the country’s national hymn,'” the South Carolina Democrat told USA Today. “The gesture itself would be an act of healing. Everybody can identify with that song.”
Clyburn is the House Democratic Whip and the highest-ranking Black lawmaker in Congress.
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20 Responses
Congressman, it’s one country, one anthem is sufficient.
I am maskim; provided I can still take a knee.
I think “The House I Live In” would be more appropriate.
So what happens when an NFL player decides to kneel on one leg during the special black rendition? Does he get arrested on the spot? Does he get a lifetime ban from the NFL and lose his entire salary?
Anyway, if we taxpaying citizens are going to allow a black national anthem, will we also allow a white national anthem? What is the difference? I see the priviliged WHITE draft dodger, Joe Biden, is already uniting our Country.
Deyz got it, maan! Iss cawed Black Laaavezz matter!
Wouldn’t that be segregationist. Why not have one for Orientals , Hispanics and Indians as well?
SHTUS
There is one, we shal overcome some day.
The headline is quite misleading. I’m no fan of Clyburn, but he’s calling for a national hymn to be sung by all people. Not a black national anthem.
His quote:
‘You aren’t singing a separate national anthem, you are singing the country’s national hymn,’” the South Carolina Democrat told USA Today. “The gesture itself would be an act of healing. Everybody can identify with that song.”
And Pelosi, Schummer Biden and the rest of the America hating and self hating DemonRats, will bow down and lick his boots and say “yes master” whatever you say, your wish is our command .
don’t be surprised that in 25 years from now we will have another official holyday called Al Sharpton day or maybe even a Louis Farrakhan day.
Lunacy! Just one more of many, many recent attempts to deny history and demean what made America great.
The reaction from a Black friend when we heard this over the weekend was a quote from the reb Forestergump ….”Stupid is as stupid does” . Will we also have a hispanic hymn??
It is a beautiful hymn and speaks more to me than “The Star-Spangled Banner”. A lot of folks won’t like it because it contains references to God.
Okaaaaay! Am i off my rocker or what. Here goes my opnion…
When ever i hear polls on black shootings or poverty among blacks on the radio. Or how many blacks graduated highschool, ect. I wonder why in Heaven’s name is that not racist. Even if you say the number of highschool diplomas given to blacks went up, you are segregating blacks into the own ‘compartment.’ AKA racism. If they are fully equal the numbers specific to blacks don’t make a difference. Yet we have no problem throwing out numbers all the time like that…Hmmmmm?
So now lets make a ‘black’ addition to the national anthem. If you believe Rep. James Clyburn that blacks are equal than they shouldnt need their own stanza in the anthem. If they do you are segregating them AGAIN and spreading racism. Why an African AMerican would want to spread racism amongst his kind…beats me??????????????????????
How about giving colored people their own country alongside America? There ought to be plenty of vacant space in Puerto Rico.
This is a great message of unity.
The only better act to “bring the country together” than giving each minority segment its own national anthem is to give each segment its own schools, public libraries, restaurants and water fountains. That will really unite us all. For the Jewish anthem I propose Shwekey’s “We love America”
(note: this is sarcasm)
I don’t know the hymn at all, but I would object based solely on the further postponement of the beginnings of baseball games. How about the anthem on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the hymn on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and Tutti Fruiti on Sundays.
If anything native Americans deserve a hymn
I think most of the comments missed the boat due to a very misleading YWFN (can you guess what the “F” stands for?) headline. Clyburn is not calling for a separate national anthem for blacks. He is calling for a national hymn which is beautiful and relatable to all Americans. It happens to have ties to the Black civil rights movement, so it will be especially meaningful to the Black community. Please verify info before shooting from your mouth. And reading a YWFN headline does not constitute verification. We would love to hear your thought-out opinion, but not the knee-jerk reaction of your lazy brain.
A lot of people do not seem to understand why African Americans hold a special place in American society and culture. Here is an extremely short explanation: They are descended from slaves owned by white masters, slaves who were shipped here from Africa against their will; following the abolition of slavery, they were oppressed by Jim Crow laws and white terrorism in the form of lynching and many other forms of murder and assault. I don’t know the hymn that Congressman Clyburn proposed, but I understand why he might want something for African Americans.