Lift Every Voice and Sing

The other day I was watching CNN with my mom and a segment came on about a professor who was bringing up the validity of the Black National Anthem. Of course he was black and just happened to be a professor at Clark Atlanta.

A poll they took said that many Americans (mostly white) never even heard of the black national anthem...I thought that was interesting...  Anyways...so I started thinking about the "Black National Anthem" and my exposure to it...Well at my elementary school they would play it on the intercom right after they Played the Star Spangled Banner and before we said the "Pledge of Allegiance (I need to write another post on that)"... For some reason I always like it more than the National Anthem...Maybe because the National Anthem was just so extra...with all the cannons going off and it was odd to me how the whole thing seemed to recreate a war scene... (I definitely don't know the words to the National Anthem)

Also I remember in 5th grade chorus, when we had to chose to sing a verse from either the Star Spangled Banner or "Black National Anthem"... I definitely chose the latter, once again cause the SSB was just sooo extra.. But actually that whole singing in front of the class thing was awful because I can't sing...I never could. So that was just pure hazing to me...

Ok back to the topic, the Clark Professor,Timothy Askew says the Black National Anthem is divisive...can you even be serious? Like most folks don't even know what it is...let the black folks have something...geesh! And its soo ironic, because Clark is an HBCU, and in Atl...

Anyways, check out the article...he has valid reasoning, but still....I actually really like "Lift every voice and sing," possibly I was brainwashed to as an adolescent, but I also think it is a much more soothing and well written song/poem.

Until Next Time...