What is the Black national anthem? Black national anthem lyrics explained

Following the Black Lives Matter protests that sprung up in the wake of George Floyd's death in May, a number of NFL stars have voiced the issues faced by the African-American community. In June, the NFL apologised for its previous stance on players protesting during the American national anthem. The uproar in the sporting community has led to a number of protests on the streets of USA, drawing attention back to the Colin Kaepernick kneeling incident during the national anthem in 2017.

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What is the Black national anthem? Black national anthem song?

According to reports, the NFL is now planning to play the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before the start of the Week 1 regular-season games. Amid news of the 'NFL Black national anthem', a number of fans on social media asked, what is the Black national anthem and what are the Black national anthem lyrics. Some NFL fans also asked for the 'Lift Every Voice and Sing lyrics'.

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What is the Black national anthem? Black national anthem lyrics

'What is the Black national anthem?' was a trending query on social media. "Lift Every Voice and Sing", a song which was initially written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 is also commonly referred to as the 'Black National anthem'. James Johnson was credited for the Black national anthem lyrics and in 1905, his brother John Rosamond Johnson set the music for the Black national anthem song. The Black national anthem was performed for the first time on February 12, 1900, in Jacksonville, FL, in celebration of President Lincoln's birthday.

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What is the Black national anthem? NFL Black national anthem lyrics

Reports claimed that the Black national anthem song will be played or performed live before the "Star Spangled Banner" national anthem during the entirety of Week 1 of the 2020 regular season. NFL Week 1 will kick-off with Super Bowl LIV champions Kansas City Chiefs hosting Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium on September 10. A number of NFL stars may now need to familiarise themselves with the Lift Every Voice and Sing lyrics. Here are the Lift Every Voice and Sing lyrics:

Lift ev'ry voice and sing
'Til earth and heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list'ning skies
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on 'til victory is won

Stony the road we trod
Bitter the chastening rod
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died
Yet with a steady beat
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered
Out from the gloomy past
'Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast

God of our weary years
God of our silent tears
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light
Keep us forever in the path, we pray
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee
Shadowed beneath Thy hand
May we forever stand
True to our God
True to our native land

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Image Credits - AP