Lift Every Voice And Sing -- Art #art #music
310
Published 2021-02-12
Click the play button to listen to Beyonce's rendition of 'Lift Every Voice and Sing', and hold down your mouse to zoom in on the art!
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What is 'Lift Every Voice and Sing?'
The song 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' is a powerful piece of music that was written by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamund Johnson in 1899, and today, it’s known more commonly as a symbol of black representation, power, and equality. The Johnsons were two brothers who lived in Jacksonville, Florida. 'Lift Every Voice and Sing 'was originally written as a poem for part of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday celebration in 1900, but later came to be known as the Black National Anthem. In 1919, 20 years after the song was written, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or the N.A.A.C.P, started calling 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' just that, the Black National Anthem, because of “it’s power in voicing a cry for liberation and affirmation for African-American people.”
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How Did I Create My Art Piece?
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What Does My Art Piece Represent?
I created my art to represent the last lyric of the second verse in Lift Every Voice and Sing, “Out from the gloomy past / Till now we stand at last / Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.” I chose the three influential figures mentioned above in particular because although there are countless other people who contributed to the fame and creation of Lift Every Voice and Sing, Beyonce, Du Bois, and Johnson are three of the most prominent, at least in my mind. The lyrics of the song talk about people coming out from the “gloomy past,” standing together (keyword is “our”), and showing the world their light, their gleaming star. I drew Beyonce, Du Bois and Johnson standing together, and showed their light shining bright, with the pitch black background representing the gloom, representing the lyrics in a sort of literal sense. I feel like the whole song has the message of standing together and sharing hope, sharing a light, so that was also represented through my artwork.
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So You Want To Learn More...
February is not the only time in the year you can learn about influential black figures, both historical, and more modern! I'll start you off on your research here. As I said before, there are countless other people who helped contribute to LEVAS's prominence and fame that I didn't incorporate in this piece, but if you want to learn more, try sampling from this list below. Search up what interests you, see what you can discover!
People:
- John Rosamund Johnson : Helped write
- Ida B. Wells : Helped found NAACP
- Alicia Keys : Performed (Search her name + the song)
Articles
- CNN : What makes 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' so iconic
- NAACP : NAACP HISTORY: LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING
- PBS : Lift Every Voice and Sing