James Weldon Johnson Foundation

James Weldon Johnson Foundation James Weldon Johnson history and legacy

For years, we've joined choirs, classrooms, congregations, and communities everywhere in the quiet work of keeping a 126...
08/13/2026

For years, we've joined choirs, classrooms, congregations, and communities everywhere in the quiet work of keeping a 126-year-old hymn alive and growing. This summer, our part of that work reached further than ever. 🎶

We advance the legacy of a true Renaissance man: lawyer, poet, novelist, lyricist, diplomat, educator, journalist, civil rights pioneer, and activist who wrote "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and a driving force behind the Harlem Renaissance.

This June, 140+ people gathered at our home, Five Acres, nearly double last year đź‘Ź In July, the Du Bois Forum returned to Great Barrington, and we spent a day inside Yale's Beinecke Library uncovering never-before-seen material on Johnson's life.

One of our summer highlights: donor Bruce Bernstein visited Five Acres for the first time in June. By July, he came back with nearly 40 people in tow: his swim team, book club, and friends. In his words: "So few people know this part of the history of Great Barrington, and I'm very glad a few more people will learn about it." 🙌

This hymn has always been bigger than any one of us, sung at marches, an inauguration, and Super Bowl halftimes. This summer it found a new medium: our silk scarf collaboration with Bee Blunt Studio, with part of the proceeds supporting our work.

Next up: a champagne brunch with Bee Blunt on Martha's Vineyard, August 19.

Link in bio for more đź’›

Rufus Elmer Jones Jr.

It's here. Announcing the Lift Every Voice Scarf, our collaboration with Bee Blunt.We gave the Bee Blunt team access to ...
08/04/2026

It's here.

Announcing the Lift Every Voice Scarf, our collaboration with Bee Blunt.

We gave the Bee Blunt team access to James Weldon Johnson's original handwritten manuscript of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the National Hymn, and they let it guide every stitch. The result is a design that turns one of the most powerful works in Black American history into wearable art.

Crafted from 100% silk and limited-edition, this is more than an accessory. It's a collector's item, a piece of the legacy made to be worn, cherished, and passed down.

25% of every purchase supports our Foundation, helping us preserve and celebrate this history for generations to come.

Shop now: https://www.beeblunt.com/home/Lift-Every-Voice-Scarf-p839676368

Tag us James Weldon Johnson Foundation and Bee Blunt Studio when yours arrives, we want to see (and share) every one.

Every scarf worn is a voice lifted.

06/26/2026

On June 20th, joy was in the air as more than 140 adults and children gathered at Five Acres in Great Barrington, Massachusetts for the James Weldon Johnson Foundation's annual gathering, nearly double the previous year's attendance.

Ace the Horse led the "Five Acres March" around the property to the historic writing cabin, with children and adults singing alongside Foundation President Rufus E. Jones Jr. on guitar leading "We Shall Overcome," in the spirit of marching for rights, voices raised in song. Before entering the cabin, Jones led the gathered crowd in "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the hymn written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and set to music by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson. David W. Blight, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, read from the opening chapter of his forthcoming biography of Johnson. Two matriarchs were honored, the 2026 Fellows in the Arts were present, and among those in attendance was Melanie Edwards, granddaughter of J. Rosamond Johnson, who composed the music for the hymn in 1899.

Read the full account on our blog.

https://www.jamesweldonjohnson.org/post/the-annual-gathering-at-five-acres-celebrating-the-legacy-of-james-weldon-johnson

“This land is ours by right of birth. This land is ours by right of toil.”James Weldon Johnson wrote those words in 1913...
04/16/2026

“This land is ours by right of birth. This land is ours by right of toil.”

James Weldon Johnson wrote those words in 1913, and they still land like thunder.

For National Poetry Month, we honor a poet who didn’t just reflect history. He helped define how history could be understood.

“Fifty Years” was a declaration of Black citizenship, contribution, and belonging, central to the American story, not peripheral to it.
Read it. Share it. Remember it.

“For never let the thought arise
That we are here on sufferance bare;
Outcasts, asylumed ’neath these skies,
And aliens without part or share.
This land is ours by right of birth,
This land is ours by right of toil;
We helped to turn its virgin earth,
Our sweat is in its fruitful soil.”

Some people build careers. Others build legacies, and James Weldon Johnson understood the difference.By 1909, his diplom...
04/15/2026

Some people build careers. Others build legacies, and James Weldon Johnson understood the difference.

By 1909, his diplomatic work had earned him a promotion: U.S. Consul to Corinto, Nicaragua. A more complex post, a broader stage, a deeper test of his abilities.

But it was 1910 that brought his most enduring partnership. On February 3rd, he married Grace Nail, daughter of prominent New York real estate developer John B. Nail. Grace was not merely a spouse; she became a cornerstone of Johnson’s life and legacy. A woman of intelligence, grace (in every sense of the word), and conviction, she would stand beside him through decades of activism, art, and advocacy.

Behind many great movements is a partnership built on mutual respect and shared purpose.

Johnson’s story asks us: Who are the people in your life that make your work not just possible, but meaningful?

1906. James Weldon Johnson becomes a U.S. diplomat, appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt himself. ✨ A Black man. A...
04/09/2026

1906. James Weldon Johnson becomes a U.S. diplomat, appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt himself. ✨ A Black man. A diplomat. A trailblazer. At a time when the system was designed to exclude people who looked like him, Johnson walked through doors that hadn’t even been built yet. Tap to learn more about one of America’s most extraordinary and undersung figures. 🖤 Respect and Wonder.

They Refused Caricature. They Chose Artistry.At a time when Black performers were too often forced into degrading stereo...
03/31/2026

They Refused Caricature. They Chose Artistry.

At a time when Black performers were too often forced into degrading stereotypes, James Weldon Johnson and his collaborators insisted on something else: musical sophistication, lyrical dignity, and creative control.

Through their work as the songwriting team Cole and Johnson Brothers, they helped show that Black composers and lyricists could reach major audiences not through parody, but through excellence. Together, they wrote more than 200 songs and helped expand the presence of Black artistry on major stages.

For James Weldon Johnson, culture was never separate from progress. His work in music formed part of a larger effort to reshape how African American creativity was seen, heard, and valued in American life. That is part of what makes his legacy so powerful today.

CulturalHistory BlackExcellence AdvancingTheLegacy

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