To amend title 36, United States Code, to establish the composition known as "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as the national hymn of the United States.

IB House Calendar No. 81 117TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 301 [Report No. 117–358] To amend title 36, United States Code, to establish the composition known as ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’’ as the national hymn of the United States. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 13, 2021 Mr. CLYBURN (for himself, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. AGUILAR, Ms. WIL- SON of Florida, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. BASS, Mr. THOMPSON of Mis- sissippi, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. RUSH, Ms. JACOBS of California, Ms. TLAIB, Mrs. LURIA, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. EVANS, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. STANTON, Ms. STEVENS, Mr. LIEU, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CARSON, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Mr. KILMER, Mr. COHEN, Ms. ROSS, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. SOTO, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. MENG, and Ms. SLOTKIN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on the Judiciary JUNE 7, 2022 Additional sponsors: Ms. BUSH, Ms. DEAN, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, and Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia JUNE 7, 2022 Reported with an amendment, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered to be printed [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 13, 2021] VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:40 Jun 08, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H301.RH H301 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 301 RH A BILL To amend title 36, United States Code, to establish the composition known as ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’’ as the national hymn of the United States. VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:40 Jun 08, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H301.RH H301 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 301 RH Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 3 Congress finds the following: 4 (1) ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’’ is a beloved 5 hymn that is currently produced and distributed by 6 approximately 40 religious publishing houses through- 7 out the United States. 8 (2) ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’’ is regularly 9 sung at various religious services and choir perform- 10 ances at community and cultural events to commemo- 11 rate the struggles that have accompanied our Nation’s 12 ‘‘pursuit of a more perfect Union’’. 13 (3) James Weldon Johnson wrote the poem ‘‘Lift 14 Every Voice and Sing’’ in 1899 to celebrate the anni- 15 versary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, 16 and his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, set the poem 17 to music. 18 (4) ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’’ was first per- 19 formed on February 12, 1900, by a choir of 500 20 school children from the Stanton School in the John- 21 sons’ hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, where James 22 Weldon Johnson served as the principal. 23 (5) In 1905, Booker T. Washington’s recognition 24 of ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’’ helped to make it a 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:40 Jun 08, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H301.RH H301 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 301 RH very popular song in Black communities throughout 1 the United States. 2 (6) In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt named 3 James Weldon Johnson to diplomatic positions in 4 Venezuela and Nicaragua, and when he returned to 5 the United States, he became affiliated with the 6 NAACP. 7 (7) In the 1920s, the NAACP chose ‘‘Lift Every 8 Voice and Sing’’ as its official song and it was 9 dubbed the ‘‘Black National anthem’’. 10 (8) In 1934, James Weldon Johnson, a graduate 11 of Clark Atlanta University, became the first African- 12 American professor at New York University, and later 13 served in a similar capacity at Fisk University in 14 Nashville, Tennessee. 15 (9) The lyrics of ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’’ 16 inspired the 16 foot sculpture, ‘‘The Harp’’ created by 17 the renowned artist Augusta Savage and commis- 18 sioned by the 1939 New York World’s Fair. 19 (10) ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’’ is sung at 20 gatherings of the Faith and Politics Institute, whose 21 bipartisan programs and pilgrimages include partici- 22 pation by Members of Congress, and was co-chaired 23 for many years by the late Congressmen, Democrat 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:40 Jun 08, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H301.RH H301 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 301 RH John Lewis and Republican Amo Houghton, both of 1 whom transitioned in 2020. 2 SEC. 2. NATIONAL HYMN. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 3 of title 36, United States 4 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 5 ‘‘§ 306. National hymn 6 ‘‘The composition consisting of the words and music 7 known as ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ is designated as the 8 national hymn of the United States.’’. 9 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections for 10 chapter 3 of title 36, United States Code, is amended by 11 adding at the end the following: 12 ‘‘306. National hymn.’’. VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:40 Jun 08, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6213 E:\BILLS\H301.RH H301 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS House Calendar No. 81 117TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 301 [Report No. 117–358] A BILL To amend title 36, United States Code, to establish the composition known as ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’’ as the national hymn of the United States. JUNE 7, 2022 Reported with an amendment, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered to be printed VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:40 Jun 08, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H301.RH H301 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS