Director’s Statement: 

My relationship to Lift Every Voice and Sing started in a small church in Central New Jersey, founded by my great-grandparents at the turn of the twentieth century, around the same time the song was written. My grandmother, the church’s longtime organist and choir director, taught me and generations of children in our community to sing what we knew then as the “Negro National Anthem.” We sang it before church programs and community events, absorbing a deep sense of pride, cultural awareness, and identity.  Because of this lifelong connection, I approached this film shaped by the song’s cultural power while grounding the documentary in rigorous scholarship beyond my own experience. I worked with historians, cultural commentators, and trusted advisors with deep knowledge of the song’s origins and legacy, ensuring accuracy, balance, and integrity in the storytelling.  In shaping the narrative, I focused on the song’s cultural impact across American history, centering its enduring significance. This documentary is both a personal tribute and an act of stewardship that honors its legacy and the communities that have sustained it for generations.