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Black National Anthem vs Black Nationalist Anthem
Black National Anthem vs. Black Nationalist Anthem
“Lift ev’ry voice and sing,
Till 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.â€
These are the quaint lyrics of a song that has been popularly declared the Black National Anthem. Composed in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson, this song is typically sung today by African-Americans during special occasions to honor our struggle and history in this country. Yet, few have ever questioned the history of this ballad, its author or the effort to declare it our Black National Anthem. Let us examine the history of this anthem and determine if it merits the distinction of being our "Black National Anthem."
Lift Every Voice and Sing was originally composed as an ode to President Abraham Lincoln, despite his being an avowed racist who felt ‘Negroes were inferior to whites and unworthy of any social or political equality.’ It was dedicated to “Honest Abe†in gratitude for our deliverance from slavery and it encourages African people to pledge allegiance to America. Eventually, music was added to the poem by Mr. Johnson’s brother, John, and the song circulated across the country, quickly becoming a way for African Americans to demonstrate their patriotism and hope for the future.
Mr. Johnson's literary talent and popularity eventually earned him several positions of prominence in racist white America. After becoming America’s consul to Puerto Cabello, Venezuela in 1906 and Corinto, Nicaragua in 1909, Johnson was recognized as one of America’s most faithful Negro patriots. Not surprisingly, while in Nicaragua, he married the very “fair-skinned†Grace Nail, daughter of the prosperous real estate developer, John E Nail. Johnson resigned his consulship in 1913 and returned to the U.S. Always remaining, as the author admits, "True to our God, true to our native land [US]."
In 1916, Major Joel E Spingarn, a Jewish US Military Intelligence Officer (Negro Subversion Division) who doubled as head of the Jewish founded and led NAACP, offered Mr. Johnson the position of Field Secretary for the Association. By 1919, the NAACP loved the song so much they adopted it as their official song and declared it our Negro National Anthem. In 1920, Johnson was appointed the first "Negro" General Secretary of the Association. These were incredible accomplishments at a time when Negroes holding such a prominent office under a Zionist-led institution was virtually impermissible. Perhaps this is what the author meant by "Have not our weary feet, Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?"
During this time as an executive of the NAACP, Mr. Johnson, along with his father-in-law John E Nail (one of the eight signatories of the Garvey Must Go Campaign), WEB Du Bois and others launched a brutal campaign against the Honorable Marcus Garvey and the UNIA. Johnson's popularity in the music industry and connections with the Boule' were exploited by the Zionist to discredit Mr. Garvey before black intelligentsia.
After the NAACP finished pimping their literary prostitute, he resigned from the Association and spent his remaining days writing books like "Negro Americans, What Now? (1934)," a book that argues for integration as the only viable solution to America's racial problems.
In short, this European-inspired jingle written by an avowed integrationist, white Supremacy propagandist and member of the Boule', was adopted by the Jewish-led NAACP and dumped on us as “our†Black National Anthem. Additionally, these lyrics invariably form a black pledge of allegiance to white America, not any independent black nation or self-governing racial empire. Considering these facts, this ode doesn’t quite fit the bill as our “National Anthem“.
Fortunately, there is a song worthy of the distinction “Black National Anthem.†In 1920, the First International Convention of the Negro Peoples of the World was called by the Honorable Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. Over 25,000 black delegates from over 40 different countries attended this plebiscite to establish an African World Empire and adopt the patriotic symbols that would inspire us to fortify our allegiance to our race. On August 13th, the Universal Ethiopian Anthem (along with the Red, Black and Green Flag) was introduced and ratified. It was composed by a spiritually-centered Pan Afrikan Nationalist, Rabbi Arnold Josiah Ford, and inspired by our need for cultural, economic, social and political independence and complete control over our racial destiny.
As we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the UNIA-ACL, let us demonstrate our appreciation for the sacrifice of our ancestors in constructing the largest racial confraternity and empire of the 20th century.
By Mwariama Kamau,
International Organizer/UNIA-ACL
(202) 256 - 6380
To hear the Universal Ethiopian Anthem, click the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDvJGw58V_M&feature=youtu.be
Join the fastest growing Confraternity of Afrikan people in the world: The UNIA-ACL. The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey founded and developed the largest and most productive Association and Assembly of Afrikans in world history. With the Gospel of Garveyism, we can do it again!
"Up You Mighty Race, You Can Accomplish What You Will!"
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