James Weldon Johnson

was an American author, educator, lawyer, diplomat, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Johnson is best remembered for his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917. In 1920 he was the first African American to be chosen as executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer.

In 1900, James Weldon Johnson wrote with his brother the son

g “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” on the occasion of Lincoln’s birthday. The song became immensely popular in the black community and became known as the “Negro National Anthem.”