“My journey to “ be somebody” started many years ago and took many paths. I well remember Mrs. Mattie Morris, my first- grade teacher at Gainsboro School, a segregated public school in Roanoke, Virginia, introducing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to my classmates and me. It is a beautiful and powerful song that has served me well throughout the years.

My ancestors talk to me via the song. They provide guidance, direction and inspiration. They highlight the fact that I should be proud of who I am and glory in what has been achieved by those who were kidnapped, stolen from their homes in Africa, and impressed into America’s evil, billion- dollar- plus institution of slavery. They and their descendants endured slavery, Jim Crow laws, and segregation, yet with Gods help, we played a major role in building this country. Through the lyrics of this song, we send a message to the foes of African Americans-raise your voices and sing this song together as American brothers and sisters…”
( William B. Robertson, Lifting Every Voice, p.1)