May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem

by Imani Perry

Overview

The twin acts of singing and fighting for freedom have been inseparable in African American history. May We Forever Stand tells an essential part of that story. With lyrics penned by James Weldon Johnson and music composed by his brother Rosamond, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was embraced almost immediately as an anthem that captured the story and the aspirations of black Americans. Since the song's creation, it has been adopted by the NAACP and performed by countless artists in times of both crisis and celebration, cementing its place in African American life up through the present day.

In this rich, poignant, and readable work, Imani Perry tells the story of the Black National Anthem as it traveled from South to North, from civil rights to black power, and from countless family reunions to Carnegie Hall and the Oval Office. Drawing on a wide array of sources, Perry uses "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as a window on the powerful ways African Americans have used music and culture to organize, mourn, challenge, and celebrate for more than a century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781469638614
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	02/02/2018
Series:	The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	870,290
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Imani Perry is the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American studies at Princeton University.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

This moving history will inspire all readers, but particularly those for whom 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' is a profound touchstone.—Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alphonse Fletcher Jr. University Professor, Harvard University, and host of Finding Your Roots

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/15/2018
In tribute to blacks' emancipation from slavery, James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) wrote the words, and his brother John Rosamund Johnson (1873–1954) drafted the music for a poetic song first performed in 1900 to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Perry (African American studies, Princeton Univ.; Prophets of the Hood) follows the trajectory of the Johnsons' creation as it rose to become an anthem of black American identity and pride, and a reflection of black social and cultural history. Situating the song amid national and international political and social movements, Perry connects the gleam of its lyrical vision to black civic imaginings and institutional life during the 20th and into the 21st century. She explores the content and the lyrics as they relate to resilience and struggle within black communities, as people determined to "march on till victory is won." VERDICT Perry provides exegesis and exhortation in explaining how a song captured a culture, and in turn became a cultural captive held fast by emotional ties of a diverse people; hers is a work for adolescents and academics, indeed for any readers interested in at least glimpsing a sense of a pulsing, resilient black consciousness. Highly recommended.—Thomas J. Davis, Arizona State Univ., Tempe

Library Journal

Excellently researched and sourced.—Michigan Historical Review



As a concise look at twentieth-century black activism through the lens of one composition, the book works exceedingly well. . . . Perry's book is a timely reminder of histories forgotten and voices unremembered.—Journal of American History



Perry has masterfully researched and written an accessible and captivating cultural history of a transformative and uplifting song adorned with lyrics that have encouraged black people while mirroring their evolution over the past hundred years.—Journal of African American History



Imani Perry has done a great service to the field of African American history in tracking this often-cited song through hundreds of black organizations, plays, and works of literature during the twentieth century. In the process, she has made clear that, at least during the age of segregation, a black nation was made in part through singing 'Lift Every Voice and Sing.'—Journal of Southern History



Perry provides exegesis and exhortation in explaining how a song captured a culture, and in turn became a cultural captive held fast by emotional ties of a diverse people; hers is a work for adolescents and academics, indeed for any readers interested in at least glimpsing a sense of a pulsing, resilient black consciousness. Highly recommended.—Library Journal, starred review



Through extensive research and eloquent writing, Perry. . . expertly sifts through the layers of black civic, social and cultural history that are inextricably linked to 'Lift Every Voice and Sing.'—San Francisco Chronicle

From the Publisher

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