On February 12, 1900, five hundred students of the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida, where James Weldon Johnson was the principal, celebrated President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday by giving the first-ever performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the song that has since became known as the Black National Anthem. Written by James Weldon Johnson himself, the hymn now stands as a testament to Johnson’s monumental talents and unwavering commitment to civil rights.
Born on June 17, 1871, in Jacksonville, Florida, to James Johnson, an African-American headwaiter and a preacher, and Helen Louise Dillet, a free-born Virginian and a Bahamian educator — Florida’s first Black female teacher — James Weldon Johnson was destined to leave a mark on the American culture and society. In fact, his family was a well-educated, middle-class family that had been free since before 1861, which provided a nurturing environment for the intellectually inclined Johnson boys to thrive in.
James Weldon Johnson was born first in 1871, followed by his brother John Rosamond Johnson two years later. The boys exhibited different interests; James studied both guitar and piano, and he learned how to read and write music. However, he was imbued with a passion for education and equality from a very young age. His brother, John, on the other hand, demonstrated an outstanding talent at the piano and the keyboards in general. After receiving their education at Stanton School, the boys’ academic pursuits took them on their separate ways.
James’ academic pursuits led him to Atlanta University, where he graduated in 1894, after which he returned home and became the superintendent at the Stanton School. A year later, in 1895, James Weldon also founded the nation’s first Black newspaper, The Daily American, which he also edited. But his educational journey didn’t end there, as he also decided to become an attorney. He eventually became the first African-American ever to pass the bar exam in Florida after teaching himself law.
This remarkable achievement, along with his previous works, set the stage for a career marked by pioneering efforts in education, law, and civil rights. In 1897, John Rosamond returned to Jacksonville to become the music supervisor for the Jacksonville school district after spending some time on the road, singing with John W. Isham’s Oriental America. Following John’s return home, the brothers wrote their first musical, and in 1899, they took a trip to NYC to find a producer for the show they wrote.
While that particular effort wasn’t fruitful, they met several prominent figures of African American show business, including Bob Cole, Will Cook, George Walker, and Bert Williams. However, once the school term began, the brothers dutifully returned to their teaching positions in Jacksonville. There, in the early 1900s, James Weldon Johnson wrote the song that would become the Black National Anthem, which was set to the music composed by John Rosamond Johnson. Upon finishing their manuscript, the Johnsons sent it to their publisher, requesting copies for use by Stanton School students.
Then, in 1900, the choir of schoolchildren at Stanton School first performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing!” in public to celebrate President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Satisfied with their achievement, both James Weldon and John Rosamond hurried on with other things, but the song touched every Black person who had heard it, leading to its spread across the South. Sadly, in 1901, the Stanton School suffered irreparable damage by fire, prompting James and John to try to get into show business.
James Weldon and his brother went back to NYC and rekindled their friendship with Bob Cole, which resulted in a fruitful partnership — the trio eventually wrote more than 200 published songs. However, James remained engaged in other roles as well, mostly in public capacities as an educator and civil rights activist. In 1904, he took part in Theodore Roosevelt’s successful political campaign, after which Roosevelt, acting as the President, appointed Johnson as the US consul in Venezuela and later Nicaragua — the roles he served from 1906 to 1913.
In the meantime, in 1910, James Weldon Johnson married a well-educated and cultured New Yorker, Grace Neil, with whom he collaborated on screenwriting projects. After their return from Nicaragua, Johnson became increasingly involved in the Harlem Renaissance and became one of its leading voices. He also acted as a field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), becoming one of the organization’s most successful officials who publicly spoke at the 1919 National Conference on Lynching.
In 1930, James Weldon Johnson was appointed as the literature professor at Fisk University, followed by the release of his book Black Manhattan. In 1934, he became the first African-American professor to ever teach at New York University. Sadly, the truly remarkable life of this great man ended in 1938 when the car his wife was driving was hit by a train. James Weldon Johnson’s funeral in Harlem was attended by more than 1,000 people.
However, his life’s work still survives. As we sing the Black National Anthem, we honor the memory of James Weldon Johnson, whose vision of a society united in diversity continues to inspire to this day.