JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is throwing his support behind a bill in Congress that would make “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” the national hymn of the United States.
The famous song written by Jacksonville’s James Weldon Johnson is often called the “Black National Anthem.” The hymn was written as a poem by the NAACP leader, lawyer and educator in 1900, and his brother, John Rosamond Johnson, wrote the music.
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NAACP Jacksonville Chapter President Isaiah Rumlin praised Curry for writing a letter to Congress this week expressing support for the bill and the Jacksonville icon at the start of Black History Month.
The song gained recent national attention after it was performed by Alicia Keys to kick off the 2020 NFL season, and Rumlin said the song is always played at his events.
“Most of us like to call it the ‘Negro National Anthem,’ but it’s not an anthem, it is a hymn that James Weldon Johnson penned. And that’s what Rep. [James] Clyburn put in his bill, that let this be our hymn, not an anthem for this country,” Rumlin told News4JAX.
U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-South Carolina, introduced the bill (H.R.301) that has been backed by more than 40 Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, D-Florida.
Curry sent a letter to Clyburn to express his support.
It read in part: “For too long the legacy of the Johnson brothers was neglected and ignored by city leaders. We have renewed our commitment to honoring Jacksonville’s history and significance in the lead up to and the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement”
As mayor of @CityofJax & on this 1st day of Black History Month, I am pleased to support the House of Representatives Bill 301 to ratify James Weldon Johnson & J. Rosamond Johnson’s song, Lift Ev-‘ry Voice and Sing as the United States of America National Hymn #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/fmva3reu6Q
— Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) February 1, 2022
Curry noted that under his administration Hemming Park was renamed to James Weldon Johnson Park and Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park is now coming to life in LaVilla.
Rumlin hopes Johnson’s legacy lives on forever in Jacksonville.
“He was born right here in the city of Jacksonville. And as a result of his intellect, he was able to do so much for this city, for this state and for this country,” Rumlin said.
According to the Senate Historical Office, six songs have been proposed in Congress to become official national hymns, including “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America,” but none of them passed.
The bill now awaits a potential vote in the House Judiciary Committee.
