by Tonya Phillips
Lift Every Voice and Sing, the Black national anthem, is a resounding cry for us to celebrate Black history and answer the call to continue fighting for a just society.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us…
The Black church was the fire that fueled the movement for hundreds of years to free Black people from slavery and segregation to the freedoms we moderately enjoy today.
"The church fueled slave rebellions, nurtured and sustained the Underground Railroad, and was the training ground for the orators of the abolitionist movement, and for ministers such as Richard Harvey Cain who emerged as powerful and effective political leaders during Reconstruction. It powered antilynching campaigns and economic boycotts, and formed the backbone of and meeting place for the civil rights movement."
Black people and Black faith leaders led one of U.S. history's most successful economic boycotts. Starting on December 1, 1955, with the arrest of Rosa Parks, the boycott lasted for thirteen difficult months; Black people stood together in solidarity for 381 days and refused to patronize Montgomery's segregated bus system until its segregation ended. On November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Browder v. Gayle that segregation in public transportation was unconstitutional. Black churches offered sanctuary and incubation for the movement, holding mass meetings to organize, care for, and encourage the people to endure and fight on.
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us…
Take a moment to reflect on the parable in Matthew 25:14-30 where three servants were given different amounts of talents. Two of the servants doubled what they were initially given. The third one stuck his talent in the ground. He didn't add to the foundation he was given.
We must continue to honor the accomplishments of Black people and continue in the traditions of the Black church and leaders such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Rev. Andrew Young, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Diane Nash, Dorothy Height, and countless others. We cannot put our talent in the ground and only return back to God the work of our ancestors. We must be like the servants whom the boss said, "Well done," and use our talents to advance social and economic justice.
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
1.https://time.com/5939921/henry-lous-gates-american-history-black-church/
2. To learn more about the history of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” go to https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/LiftEveryVoiceAndSing.pdf