Oh to be Young, Gifted, and Black in America

The DC Voice likes to open Black History Month with the traditional Negro National Anthem- Lift Ev’ry Voice by James Weldon Johnson. Since then there have been other classics such as Black Pearl by Sonny Charles, Checkmates, Ltd., Say it Loud – I’m Black, and I’m Proud by James Brown, or Black Butterfly by Deniece Williams. However, Miss Nina Simone’s – To Be Young, Gifted, and Black is probably the modern era anthem. This post was originally published in February of  2016. It deserves a spot in our annual Black History Month recognition.

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February 16, 2016

Photo courtesy of latevoice.com

The original body of work “To Be Young Gifted and Black,” a poem by Lorraine Hansberry. She then requested Nina Simone to sing the song.  Do the words still hold truth in 2016?

To be young, gifted and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream
To be young, gifted and black,
Open your heart to what I mean

In the whole world you know
There are billion boys and girls
Who are young, gifted and black,
And that’s a fact!

Young, gifted and black
We must begin to tell our young
There’s a world waiting for you
This is a quest that’s just begun

When you feel really low
Yeah, there’s a great truth you should know
When you’re young, gifted and black
Your soul’s intact

Young, gifted and black
How I long to know the truth
There are times when I look back
And I am haunted by my youth

Oh but my joy of today
Is that we can all be proud to say
To be young, gifted and black
Is where it’s at