Sing a Song: How Lift Every Voice and Sing Inspired Generations

Author(s) Kelly Starling Lyons
Illustrator(s) Keith Mallett
Age Group 5-8
Publisher Nancy Paulsen Books
ISBN 978-0525516095
Year 2018
sing-a-song-how-lift-every-voice-and-sing-inspired-generations

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us.
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.


In Jacksonville, Florida, two brothers, one of them the principal of a segregated, all-Black school, wrote the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing" so his students could sing it for a tribute to Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 1900. From that moment on, the song has provided inspiration and solace for generations of Black families. Parents passed it on to their children who sang it to their children and grandchildren. It has been sung during major moments of the Civil Rights Movement and at family gatherings and college graduations.

Inspired by this song's enduring significance, this books tells a story about the generations of families who gained hope and strength from the song's inspiring words.

sing-a-song-how-lift-every-voice-and-sing-inspired-generations