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Home • News

This Viral Video of Kids Vibing To ‘Lift Every Voice And Sing’ Is Everything We Needed To Start Black History Month

Students in Jacksonville, Florida— where Lift Every Voice And Sing was written and composed— gave us plenty of Black joy with their rendition of the legendary song.
This Viral Video of Kids Vibing To ‘Lift Every Voice And Sing’ Is Everything We Needed To Start Black History Month
Children at modern school facility
By Malaika Jabali · Updated February 7, 2022

An educator in Jacksonville, Florida is lighting up our timelines with Black joy at the top of Black History Month.

Last week, math teacher Nadine Ebri posted a video of her students from 2018, after she taught them the lyrics to Lift Every Voice and Sing, also known as the Black National Anthem. 

While a lot of our culture has passed down across generations, many of her students weren’t familiar with the song, despite it being written by James Weldon Johnson and composed by J. Rosamond Johnson in their hometown of Jacksonville.

The kids learned the lyrics and, as we do, added their own sauce to their rendition of the song.

The viral video is practically a Renaissance painting, with everyone in the frame doing their own little part to create this masterpiece. We’ve got beatmakers in one corner, a collection of milly rockers in the center, and a full chorus of students vibing in harmony.  

A few years ago, I mentioned “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during class. To my surprise, many of my students had never heard of it before although it was written and composed right here in Jacksonville, FL. That day, lessons were put on hold for something greater ❤️ pic.twitter.com/q2GPDzOcif

— Nadine Ebri (@NadineEbri) February 4, 2022

The students got plenty of love on social media.

Yyyyyyyoooo! New generation, same beat bangin on the desks. The future looks bright in Duval. https://t.co/RgN1LfIcGL

— Metaphors & Memes (ABD) (@CulturedModesty) February 6, 2022

Yyyyyyyoooo! New generation, same beat bangin on the desks. The future looks bright in Duval. https://t.co/RgN1LfIcGL

— Metaphors & Memes (ABD) (@CulturedModesty) February 6, 2022

My kinda carrying on.

I would've been right with the two lil sisters hitting the dance moves the whole time.

As one who was always raised to love her Blackness and sing this song proudly, I love to see this.

Happy Black History Month
❤🖤💚✊🏾 https://t.co/VYknxgao4p

— j. (@JadeAndwele) February 6, 2022

Newly minted ESPN correspondent Angela Rye also noted the importance of the anthem and why it shouldn’t be a national hymn right now.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by A N G E L A | R Y E (@angelarye)

Pausing her math lessons for this Black history moment is why Black educators like Nadine matter, and our timelines are thankful she did.

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