This morning I was listening to this amazing version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” led by Mark Miller. https://vimeo.com/showcase/6982337/video/424878344.

It got me thinking about how music, culture, and identity are so often integrated.

I attended Kindergarten at a racially diverse, predominantly African American elementary school. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day (it was not yet a federal holiday), the school gathered for assembly. In retrospect, while Dr. King was killed three years before I was born, many of the older students must have had memories of his assassination. It struck me that everyone except me seemed to know the words to “We Shall Overcome” without it being taught.

Similarly, it wasn’t until 4th grade that I first heard “The Star Spangled Banner” at the beginning of a stadium fireworks display. I wondered again how everyone except me seemed to know it. The following year the National Anthem was part of our study of “US” history. It’s a song that has a lot of power and emotional energy, but the imagery of war and placing the flag at the center of our national identity has always troubled me.

As a young teenager (maybe 14), I first heard “Lift Every Voice” when we sang it in church. My father, who was the pastor, explained to the older predominately German congregation that it was considered the Black National Anthem. I asked him about it later because it confused me that there would be “two” national anthems. “Isn’t that racist?” I asked with the innocence of a white teenager who hadn’t really explored anything more than superficial racial justice work.

Over the years, as I have listened more intently to the words, the depth of faith and struggle left an impression on me. Delving into African-American history and heritage and listening to the experiences and reflections of Black friends and family, I more readily understand how “The Star Spangled Banner” does not speak to liberty and justice for many people in this country.

When I hear the sacred words and the music of “Lift Every Voice” I pause with respect and repentance. I am always moved with hope that with God’s help, those of us who identify as white will clear away the shadows to confront and address painful realities about this nation’s history and current systems of inequality.

At the same time, I am mindful that we need to balance appreciation with appropriation. I have some concerns that what is known as the Black National Anthem is perhaps being commercialized or otherwise denigrated. I worry that it will be coopted as a tool for symbolic platitudes that does little to create deep, systemic changes.

I wonder what needs to happen to build up a reality that reflects the powerful lyrics in this song. As an anthem that expresses experiences of Black people in this country, can it break through systems of white supremacy, grounding us on a path that God has prepared to upend powers and principalities, repair harm, and create paths for reconciliation?

Lift ev’ry voice and sing

‘Til earth and heaven ring

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty

Let our rejoicing rise

High as the list’ning skies

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.