Restoring Our Voices

Stony the road we trod, bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way
that with tears has been watered.
We have come, treading our path
thro’ the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from a gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam
of our bright star is cast.

By Larry Smith, Education Consultant

I would like you to take a moment to read the words above from the second verse of "Lift Every Voice". Originally a poem written by James Weldon Johnson it was later put to music, becoming The Negro National Anthem.

In my recent travels as an Educational Consultant, I became curious to see how many young African Americans knew the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice.” Or if they had heard the poem or song. The response that I received  most often was “I did not know we had a Negro National Anthem", or,  "I think I have heard of it.”

One interesting comment I heard from a young man was, “Is this a new rap song?” I laughed. Another response came from a group of young men in their twenties,  “This is not relevant anymore.” I became concerned and wondered where we are heading as a culture and how much longer it will be before we are no longer a viable culture making great contributions.

In a gentle way I reminded them that this song, in the past, represented our struggles as a people. During the Civil Rights movement of the 50's and 60's it gave us hope for equality and future achievements.  This song served as a reminder that we have come from a society that was immersed in a doctrine of "separate but equal" education.

Today there is a decline in the number of African Americans who are involved in or being asked to be key players in the process of shaping and molding educational policies and standards for learning at the local, state and national levels.

It is my belief and only my belief that we must find ways to come together to determine our role and future by raising our voices in order for our children to be able to play a viable role in global society. We must find a way to develop and push our “bright stars.”

As we move into the new year 2012, it is my hope that the African American community and our leaders lift our voices, work in collaboration, and determine educational policies that work best for our community rather than having someone else determine what is best for us.