{"id":126871,"date":"2026-01-21T20:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T20:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/126871\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T20:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T20:45:08","slug":"the-friends-of-brentwood-public-library-126th-anniversary-of-lift-every-voice-and-sing-celebration-free-press-of-jacksonville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/126871\/","title":{"rendered":"The Friends of Brentwood Public Library \u2013 126th Anniversary of Lift Every Voice and Sing Celebration\u00a0\u00a0 \u2013 Free Press of Jacksonville"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nShown at the ribbon cutting reopening\/fall festival celebrations l -r is speakers for the occasion Kathleen Krizek (Branch Manager), Dr. Brenda Simmons-Hutchins (former JPL BOLT member and President), Jennifer Gilthrop (Interim JPL Director), Sharon Coon (Founder and chair of the Friends of the Brentwood Library) and recent advocate chair\/organizer of the JPL Friends Groups for the JPL Library Budget, City Councilman Sam Newby and Reverend Philip Mobley (Former Chair, Jacksonville Housing and Community Development Commission).<\/p>\n

Jacksonville, FL is slated to witness a series of spectacular events in February for Black History Month. Theme: \u201cAcknowledging the Past and Triumph Over Struggle\u201d, The 126th anniversary of the widely acclaimed song known as the \u201cBlack National Anthem\u201d, Lift Every Voice and Sing, will be commemorated and celebrated in the hometown of two brothers: author, James Weldon Johnson and composer, J. Rosamond Johnson. Initially written as a poem in 1899, Johnson\u2019s brother, J. Rosamond, composed music for the poem. On February 12, 1900, the song was first performed by five hundred students from Edwin M. Stanton School, in Jacksonville, FL.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One hundred and twenty-six years later, the song will make history again with a multi-event in February Black History Month paying tribute to James Weldon Johnson, Jacksonville\u2019s native son, Renaissance person, and global citizen. The events will include a rich blend of artistic and educational experiences, highlighting music, dance, theater, visual arts, and literature. We will host cultural education sessions and public dialogues to explore race relations and to foster community discussions on pertinent issues.<\/p>\n

Events will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2026, starting with the James Weldon Johnson & J. Rosamond Johnson Piano Youth Competition (ages 7-18). Commemorates the Negro Anthem that has resonated across generations and holds a significant place in American history. This event empowers a platform for aspiring young pianists to highlight their talent, passion, and dedication to the art of piano performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Reception and The Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition: Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence. Guest speaker, Hazel Gillis, President, James Weldon Johnson ASALH Branch \u2013 Jacksonville. This exhibit addresses women\u2019s political activist, explores the racism that challenged universal suffrage of the ratification of the 19th Amendment on August 18, 2020. The story of women\u2019s suffrage is a story of voting rights, of inclusion in and exclusion from the franchise, and of our civic development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Wednesday, February 12, 2026, 5:30 p.m. Meet & Greet Reception\/Symposium Discussion: \u201cOur Democracy and the Ballot\u201d, written by James Weldon Johnson in 1923. Some notable presenters and participants are The Honorable Senior Judge, Pauline Drake, The Honorable Duval County Judge Lester Bass, Attorney Lenor Easter, Senior Attorney for the Florida Rights Restoration, and Dr. Nicholas Seabrook, Ph.D., a Political Science Professor and Department Chair at the University of North Florida, The Bishop Rudolph McKissick, Sr., Retired Pastor, Bethel Baptist Institutional Church, and the League of Women\u2019s Voters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sunday, February 15, 10:30 a.m.: World Day of Worship at St. John\u2019s Cathedral Jacksonville. This is the first church Hellen Dillion Johnson, mother of James Weldon Johnson visited in Jacksonville, FL<\/p>\n

Sermon: Acknowledging the Past and Triumph Over Struggle<\/p>\n

Sunday, February 15, 2:00 p.m.: Community Family Fun Day at the Ritz Theatre and Museum<\/p>\n

Sunday, February 15, 3:30 p.m. \u2013 6:00 p.m. Performance \u201cGod\u2019s Trombones\u201d, Ritz Theatre and Museum<\/p>\n

Friday, February 20, 6:00 p.m. \u2013 8:00 p.m. Lift Every Voice and Sing Children\u2019s Choir Tribute: Spirituals, Scriptures, Poetry, and James Weldon Johnson quotes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saturday, February 21, 8:30 a.m. \u2013 5:00 p.m. Heritage Bus Tour. Explore African American History expanding from Duval, Nassau, and St. John\u2019s Counties. Visit the American Beach, Kingsley Plantation,<\/p>\n

Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, and the Civil Rights Trail., Jacksonville Lift Every Voice and Sing Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Join us and be a part of history to explore, engage, and learn. For more information visit our website at www.jwjlifteveryvoice.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shown at the ribbon cutting reopening\/fall festival celebrations l -r is speakers for the occasion Kathleen Krizek (Branch…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126872,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-126871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}