"Lift E'very Voice" and Celebrate
The Friends of Brentwood Library, Inc. and its founder and matriarch, Sharon Coon, invite you to celebrate the 126th anniversary of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" February 7 - 21, 2026, in the hometown of the Johnson brothers. This vibrant celebration includes a Youth Piano Competition, Children's Choir, a family day at the Ritz Theatre and Museum, and more.
Theme: "Acknowledging the Past and Triumph Over Struggle."
Known as the Black National Anthem, "Lift E'very Voice and Sing" is a song of endurance, freedom, suffering, joy and thanksgiving. Originally written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson in 1899, it was set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson.
There will be free events at multiple venues in Jacksonville.
Happening at Jacksonville Public Library:
-
Youth Piano Competition
- Cash prizes awarded to young pianists, ages 7-18
- Video submissions due Jan. 24, 2026 (with $25 entry fee)
- Public performance: 10 a.m. on Feb. 7, 2026
- Main Library, 303 N. Laura St. (Hicks Auditorium)
-
Smithsonian Institute Exhibition
- Opening/reception at 5 p.m. on Feb. 10
- Brentwood Branch Library, 3725 N. Pearl St.
- Theme: "Votes for Women - A Portrait of Persistence"
- Part of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, “Because of Her Story”
- Outlines the more than 80-year movement for women to obtain the right to vote
- View selections from the exhibition on the Google Arts and Culture website
-
"Our Democracy and the Ballot" Symposium
- "Meet & Greet" reception from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.
- Symposium and panel discussion starts from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- Main Library, 303 N. Laura St. (Hicks Auditorium)
- Panelists will reflect on the 1923 speech by James Weldon Johnson regarding the vital role of voting and citizenship
- Presented in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Jacksonville First Coast
-
Children's Choir Tribute Concert
- Featuring "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" plus poetry and quotes from James Weldon Johnson
- Free public performance from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20
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Main Library, 303 N. Laura St. (Conference Center)
- Registration is open to students in grades 3-12 (through Feb. 3)
- Mandatory rehearsal from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19
- Email jwjlifteveryvoice@gmail.com
See the full schedule of events on the Friends website.
For updates, follow the Friends of Brentwood Public Library on Facebook.
You can also email the Friends at jwjlifteveryvoice@gmail.com.
Please note: All events at the Main Library will take place in our Conference Center. During business hours, you may enter via the Main Library's main entrance at 303 N. Laura St. After hours, please use the Conference Center (special events) entrance at 312 N. Main St.
Learn more about parking at the Main Library.
Remembering the Johnson Brothers
James Weldon Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1871, when our nation was dealing with the lingering effects of racial violence and the aftermath of the Civil Rights Act of 1871. His father was biracial and a headwaiter, and his mother, Helen Louise Dillet, a native of Nassau in the Bahamas—Florida's first known African American public-school teacher. She taught her sons to read and fostered a lifelong love of literature, music, and the English language, imparting to them a love for the European musical traditions. Her passion for the arts and education significantly shaped their lives.
When he wrote "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," James was the principal of Edwin M. Stanton School here in Jacksonville, FL. What began as a poem in commemoration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, turned into a hymn themed around the struggles of African Americans following the Reconstruction Era and the passage of Jim Crow laws in the South. In 1917, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) began to promote the song as the "Black National Anthem." It became a beacon during the Civil Rights Movement and has come back into prominence in recent years.
Their mother’s educational foundation shaped James's diverse career as a writer, lawyer, lyricist, composer, educator, published author, civil rights leader, and diplomat. Likewise, Rosamond achieved international success writing songs and producing two-black operettas for Broadway. He was a veteran, founder of the New York Music School Settlement for Colored People in Harlem (1918), a noted composer, pianist, actor, teacher, and the first African American to conduct and contribute to composing a Broadway White Musical, "Hello Paris" (1910).
About Sharon Coon
From 1985 to the present, Sharon Coon has spent 40 years promoting the legacy of James Weldon Johnson and his family roots in the Jacksonville, Florida community. Her leadership has brought many initiatives to life: from the James Weldon Johnson Heritage Trail to the Poetry and Dramatic Arts Contest; a successful state campaign for James Weldon Johnson application acceptance into the Florida Artist Hall of Fame; the James Weldon Johnson Festival; the JWJ Young Writers Festival; Jacksonville: Then and Now Documentary; James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson Youth Piano Competition; Sharing Your Story; and the annual celebration of “Lift Every Voice and Sing."
"Our programs have inspired young people to become Broadway performers, teachers, authors, lawyers, nurses, entrepreneurs, and politicians. Each success is a powerful reminder that investing in our children's education and well-being unlocks extraordinary possibilities."
From 2013 to the present, she founded the first known Friends of the Brentwood Public Library, Inc. to develop Urban Core outreach events and arts and educational programs, utilizing James Weldon Johnson’s legacy to support the Jacksonville Public Library in the Brentwood Community.
Why James Weldon Johnson?
Sharon Coon believes that, not only does James's life stands as a testament - an excellent example of what can be accomplished in a lifetime, and the heights one can reach - but also that when children know their cultural history, they can embrace a world of diverse cultures.
She was initially inspired to learn more about our distinguished native son and renowned global figure James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), and his brother John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954), by her son, the late James Lee Coon, Jr. (1975-1995). During his short life, James Lee Coon, Jr, became a Florida’s High School Congressional Scholar Student (1993), and he attended college.
"My son’s curiosity inspired me to create programs that would empower underserved youth to dream their impossible dreams and to remind them who they are: the best and brightest their ancestors ever produced."
As a local historian, she has contributed to several publications about James Weldon Johnson including African American Sites in Florida by Kevin McCathy.
