Before 'The Star Spangled Banner' was the national anthem, 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' was the Black national anthem. This year, it turns 125

Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” a song often called the Black national anthem, was sung before the Super Bowl for the fifth year in a row Sunday.

James Weldon Johnson initially wrote it as a poem a year earlier, and his brother John Rosamond Johnson composed the music. It would soon be adopted by the NAACP as its official song.Today “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” is one of the most acclaimed songs of the African American Civil Rights movement and is often hailed as the Black National Anthem.

Jon Batiste’s Super Bowl performance was a hit for all the right reasons: he debuted new music and delivered a creative rendition “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Batiste also honored his wife by putting a spotlight on her unique talent.