God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land."
James Weldon Johnson, 1871-1938, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (third stanza)
I could never understand how some think this poem/hymn could be controversial or that it belongs to only one group. It is universal, past, present and future, autobiographical from womb to tomb. From struggle to hope to victory.
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