"Lift Every Voice and Sing" - Salem reading of Frederick Douglass - 2024

More than 70 people gathered in the heart of Salem on June 18 to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday and reflect on the enduring power of Frederick Douglass' 1852 address, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" Vocalist Janey David sang the hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing," a hymn known as the Black National Anthem, that was written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and composed by his brother John Rosamond Johnson. Nicole McClain, president of the North Shore Juneteenth Association, Dominick Pangallo, mayor of Salem, and other community leaders raised several Juneteenth flags during David's performance. McClain led a spirited reading of Douglass' speech following the hymn.

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