A hymn which is widely regarded as the U.S. Black national anthem, and as a powerful symbol of the enduring faith and resilience of Black Americans against racial oppression in the United States. Its lyrics were written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), and it was set to music by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954). It was originally created as a part of a tribute which took place in Jacksonville, Florida to honour former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. On the day of the event, it was performed by a choir of 500 Black children, all students at the segregated school of which James Johnson was the principal at the time. The song was declared the "Negro National Anthem" by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1919, 12 years before the Star-Spangled Banner was adopted as the American national anthem.