Piedmont Blues Preservation Society
Our Mission: To engage communities with Blues as culture.
Building Blues Futures Since 1985
At 530pm CT on January 25th, 2026 Piedmont Blues Preservation Society president, Atiba Berkley, programmed an action in community with Black American Music Summit at Folk Alliance International in New Orleans. PBPS began as the Carolina Gospel & Blues Festival and the use of Lift E'ry Voice & Sing was an appropriate and timely response to the violence being experienced by Americans.At least 500 people came together to sing all three verses and a great message and a little healing was shared.Here is the call to action message:
Join Us in Song and SolidarityAs we watch the violence in Minneapolis, and across the United States unfold, as artists, we are called to stand up, lift every voice and sing.Everyone is invited to join us in the lobby to sing Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing (also known as the Black National Anthem) together in an act of unity and solidarity.The Folk community has a tradition of standing up for what’s right, and now is the moment to draw on that tradition again, climb onto the shoulders of giants to let them know that we are here and we shall not be moved.We do this 'til we free us.We welcome everyone, and all instruments are invited to participate.A little about the Black National Anthem:“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often called "The Black National Anthem," originated as a poem written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, with music composed by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson. It was first publicly performed by a 500-child choir at the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida, where James Weldon Johnson was principal, to celebrate President Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Johnson's lyrics, which captured the solemn, hopeful plea for Black liberty and invoked God and freedom, were later adopted by the NAACP and used extensively as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s” - NAACP WebsitePlease see below for the lyrics and sheet music. We encourage you to take some time to contemplate the intergenerational applicability of the lyrics and the ways our world has changed, and the ways it’s stayed the same.What: A community singing of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”Who: Everyone is welcomeWhere: Lobby of the Sheraton New Orleans HotelWhen: Downbeat at 5:30pmWhy: Community solidarity and processing through song
At 530pm CT on January 25th, 2026 Piedmont Blues Preservation Society president, Atiba Berkley, programmed an action in community with Black American Music Summit at Folk Alliance International in New Orleans. PBPS began as the Carolina Gospel & Blues Festival and the use of Lift E'ry Voice & Sing was an appropriate and timely response to the violence being experienced by Americans.
At least 500 people came together to sing all three verses and a great message and a little healing was shared.
Here is the call to action message:
Join Us in Song and Solidarity
As we watch the violence in Minneapolis, and across the United States unfold, as artists, we are called to stand up, lift every voice and sing.
Everyone is invited to join us in the lobby to sing Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing (also known as the Black National Anthem) together in an act of unity and solidarity.
The Folk community has a tradition of standing up for what’s right, and now is the moment to draw on that tradition again, climb onto the shoulders of giants to let them know that we are here and we shall not be moved.
We do this 'til we free us.
We welcome everyone, and all instruments are invited to participate.
A little about the Black National Anthem:
“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often called "The Black National Anthem," originated as a poem written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, with music composed by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson. It was first publicly performed by a 500-child choir at the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida, where James Weldon Johnson was principal, to celebrate President Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Johnson's lyrics, which captured the solemn, hopeful plea for Black liberty and invoked God and freedom, were later adopted by the NAACP and used extensively as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s” - NAACP Website
Please see below for the lyrics and sheet music. We encourage you to take some time to contemplate the intergenerational applicability of the lyrics and the ways our world has changed, and the ways it’s stayed the same.
What: A community singing of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”
Who: Everyone is welcome
Where: Lobby of the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
When: Downbeat at 5:30pm
Why: Community solidarity and processing through song