Written by an Atlanta graduate, "Lift Every Voice and Sing's" message still resonates

On the campus of Clark Atlanta University, there's an extra sense of pride when the HBCU's student choir, the Philharmonic Society, performs "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

The song, also known as the Black National Anthem, was written in the early 1900s to inspire and give hope.

"Every single time I hear it, I get so empowered being an African American," Clark Atlanta student Cheney Pooler said.

Pooler regularly performs the song and takes great pride in performing a song written by an alumnus.

"James Weldon Johnson wrote the lyrics for the song. So to sing it is just a privilege and something we all cherish," Pooler said.

Johnson graduated in 1894, when Clark Atlanta was Atlanta University. He originally wrote "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as a poem while working as a school principal in Florida. Johnson's brother transformed it into a song.

The song, written 126 years ago, depicts the struggles of Blacks during that time.

"Sometimes our Blackness wasn't represented enough, and we're taking that power back," Pooler said.

"This was written during the times of lynchings. This was not a time of peace. This was a time of evil," Clark Atlanta President Dr. George French Jr.  "They understood that we needed symbols of hope. We need something that will inspire us."

The original intent for the song was for a former U.S. president.

"He wrote it for President Lincoln on President Lincoln's birthday," French said.

Clark Atlanta historian Gay-linn Gatewood Jasho said the song has stood the test of time.

"Not only is that song a part of the African American community, it is sung at sporting events. It's opened up to the world to show who we are as a people," Gatewood Jasho said.

Coco Jones will perform the anthem at the Super Bowl on Sunday.