A United Methodist Insight Column
Lift Every Voice
First page of Hymn No. 519, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." (Image Courtesy of Hymnary.org)
I love the James Weldon Johnson hymn, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (No. 519, United Methodist Hymnal). Between James Weldon’s evocative lyrics, originally a poem, and the stirring music composed by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, it doesn’t surprise me that the song was adopted in 1919 by the NAACP as “the Negro national anthem.” Nonetheless, I’ve been uncomfortable about the NFL’s plan to play the song before games as a way to show solidarity with Black Americans. I found out this weekend that I’m not alone.
I had the opportunity to ask some Black musicians about how they feel about the NFL’s plan by way of a Sunday afternoon Facebook live presentation, “Face to Face with Racism,” produced by St. Stephen United Methodist Church in Mesquite, Texas, a Dallas suburb. (Full disclosure: St. Stephen sponsors United Methodist Insight). During the program, I asked Catholic musician brothers Darrell and Darnell St. Romain whether the trend represented inclusion or cultural appropriation amid the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
To my surprise, Darrell responded vigorously, “It’s manipulation.” His twin brother, Darnell, and another panelist, Jorge Lockward, both added that its use represents a misappropriation because there’s no relationship behind the singing. “It’s like when a politician who’s up for re-election learns three words of Spanish, but doesn’t care about the Hispanic community,” said Jorge, a longtime leader in United Methodist music and worship arts.
“Face to Face with Racism” is only about a month old, but it has tackled some tough questions about racial discrimination and race relations. It’s presented Sundays at 4 p.m. (CDT) on St. Stephen’s Facebook page. Past episodes have been recorded and are available for viewing anytime.
An inspired prayer
In contrast to the NFL plan for playing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the hymn inspired the July 13 devotional for Discipleship Ministries’ “Praying for Change: Daily Prayers for Anti-Racism.” Dr. Heather Josselyn-Cranson, associate professor of music at Regis College in Weston, Mass., and a member of The Order of Saint Luke liturgical association, wrote a prayer evoking the hymn:
God of liberty and justice,
who hears the silent tears of those wearied by continued inequality and violence:
open the ears of everyone in our society to hear the truth of continued racism in this stony land,
so that we may return to the places where we will meet you,
places of love and respect for all your children;
in the name of the One who was slaughtered for us, your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
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If you can’t breathe …
… You can’t sing. Nicole Cardoza, author of the newsletter “The Anti-Racism Daily,” notes in her latest issue a Harvard study that finds “populations that experience high levels of air pollution are more likely to get and die from COVID-19. A team of Harvard data scientists recently determined that a person living in areas with high particulate pollution is 15% more likely to die from COVID than someone living in an area with only slightly less air pollution (Harvard). And this isn't surprising; studies have shown that the SARS outbreak of 2002-2004 and yearly spread of influenza are also associated with pollution levels (Stanford), so it would only make sense that this respiratory disease would act similarly.”
So how does this relate to anti-racism? Ms. Cardoza continues, “We also know that areas with communities of color are more likely to experience high levels of air pollution than white people, contributing to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in the Black and Hispanic communities (Futurity). A longitudinal study measured the exposure of various U.S. cities to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a transportation-related pollutant, and found that exposure was 2.7x higher in non-white neighborhoods than white ones. And although overall exposure to NO2 dropped between 2000 and 2010 because of various environmental initiatives, the racial disparities in exposure increased (Futurity).”
Given what we experienced in early spring when pollution levels dropped because of the COVID-19 lockdown combined with the health care disparities in communities of color, these latest studies provide more evidence of how entwined COVID-19 and the climate crisis are. We need our leaders to recognize this fact, and we in the church need to do more to steward the Earth and one anotheer as God requires.
Learn more about The Anti-Racism Daily and subscribe.
More on COVID-19’s religious impacts
Dr. David W. Scott, blogmaster of UM & Global, recommends a podcast by the Rev. Dr. Robert A. Hunt, a frequent contributor to both UM & Global and United Methodist Insight. Dr. Scott writes:
“Robert Hunt has created a new podcast series entitled "Interfaith Encounters." Season 1 of the series, which ran in April and May of this year, explores the ways in which various faith communities, both Christian and non-Christian, have been impacted by and responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The nine episodes are each 15-20 minutes long and examine the following faith communities: Muslim, Vedanta, Sikh, Jewish, African American Christian, Buddhist, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), Hindu, and United Methodist.”
Sounds like a rich collection to check out.
Media Mentions as of July 13, 2020
CDC: Covid-19 death toll is twice as high among people of color under age 65 as for white Americans – The Washington Post
Churches amid the pandemic: Some outbreaks, many challenges – The Associated Press
Christian groups oppose ICE rule on international students – The Associated Press
Supreme Court’s religious employer ruling could weaken LGBTQ protections– NBC News
Stay home from church – Religion News Service
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.