February 14,2001
I h r |3nrtlanh © bseriier-------- __ 0 Focus
Black History In Print
Black Roots
Lift Every Voice and Sing
A Celebration of
the Negro National
Anthem 100 Years,
100 Voices
B ond and S ondra
K athryn W ilson
R andom H ouse : 2000
Pasted into Bibles, schoolbooks,
and hearts, “Lift E very V oice and
S ing,” w ritten b y J. R osam ond
Johnsonand Jam es W eldon Johnson
in 1900, has becom e one o f the m ost
beloved songs in the A frican A m eri­
can com m unity - taught for years in
schools, churches, and civic organi­
zations. A dopted by the N A ACP as
its official song in the 1920s and sung
throughout the civil rights movement,
it is still heard today at gatherings
across America.
Jam es W eldon Johnson’s lyrics
pay hom age to a history o f struggle
but never w aver from a sense o f op­
tim ism for the future - “feeing the
rising sun o f our new day begun, let
us m arch on till victory is w on.” Its
m essage o f hope and strength has
m ade “Lift Every V oice and Sing” a
sourceofinspiration for generations.
In celebration o f the son’s centen­
nial, Julian Bond and Sondra Kathryn
W ilson have collected one hundred
essays by artists, educators, politi­
cians, and activists reflecting on their
personal experiences with the song.
by J ulian
'‘W
•<f ( t t l e h r u l l f H f j t k e HVrgr-f W a H e n u l H u th r m
• ONT» « x u S O N D R A K A T H W M W IL S O N ,
Also featuring photos from historical
archives, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
is am oving illustration o f the African
A merican experience in the past cen­
tury. With contributors including John
Hope Franklin. Jesse Jackson,
Maya Angelou, Norman Lear,
M axine W aters, and Percy
Sutton, this volume is a per­
sonal tribute to the enduring
powerofan anthem. “LiflEvery
There Comes A Time
The Struggle for Civil Rights
B y M ilton M eltzer
L andmark B ooks : 2001
Speaking on the first night o f the
M ontgom ery bus boycott in D ecem ­
ber 1955, M artin Luther King, Jr.,
gave voice to African Americans frus­
trated by more than 300 years o f
injustice. The D eclaration o f Inde­
pendence prom ised life, liberty, and
the pursuit ofhappiness, yet African
A m ericans w ere still not allowed to
vote, or even to sit and eat where
they wished.
A w ard-w inning author M ilton
M eltzer examines the m any facets o f
the civil rights m ovem ent and the
events that cam e before - from the
arrival o f the first slave ships on
colonial shores to the S uprem e
C ourt’s landmark Brown decision.
’ m . ï
100 Y E A R S , 100 V O IC E S
IG LI A
A n unflinching look at the
history o f racism in this coun­
try, this book is a m ust for
every reader - young or old -
who cares about where w e’ve
been and where w e’re going.
Page 11
L illu « *
Voice and Sing” has touched the hearts
o f many who have heard it because its
true aim, as Harry Belefonte explains,
“isn ’ tjust to show life as it is but to sho w
life as it should be.”
A Beginner’s Guide to Tracing the
African American Family Tree
Bx T o n y .B urroughs
F ir esid e : 2001
Finally, here is a fun, easy-
to-use guide that African
Americans have been wait­
ing for since Alex Haley pub­
lished “Roots”
m ore
than
tw e n ty -fiv e
years
ago.
Written by the
leading A fri­
can American
p ro f e s s io n a l
genealogist in
the
U nited
S tates
who
teach es and
le c tu re s
widely, “Black
R oots” h ig h ­
lights some of
th e ir sp ecial
problems, solu­
tio n s,
and
sources unique
to
A frican
A m e ric a n s .
Based on solid genealogical
principles and designed for
those who have little or no
experience researching their
family’s past, but valuable to
any genealogist, this book ex­
plains everything you need to
get started, including: where
to search close to home,
where to write for records,
how to make the best use of
libraries and the Internet, and
how to organize research,
analyze historical documents,
and write the family history.
Honoring Community
❖
Celebrating
Black History Month
Neil Kelly Company
503.288.7461
www.neilkelly.com