(NewsNation) — “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the “Black National Anthem,” was born more than a century ago, but the popular hymn within the African American community has resurrected a beacon of hope and freedom.

It was performed at the 2024 Super Bowl Sunday by soul singer Andra Day. Her rendition follows performances at three previous Super Bowls.

What is the ‘Black National Anthem’?

While “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has a short Super Bowl history, the was first performed in 1900, during a celebration of former President Abraham Lincoln by a choir of 500 schoolchildren in Jacksonville, Florida, according to the NAACP. The song made its debut on Feb. 12, 1900, according to Mississippi Today.

The song was originally written as a poem in the late 1800s by James Weldon Johnson, an NAACP leader. However, it became a hymn when Johnson’s brother John Rosamond Johnson composed the music, the NAACP reports.

At the turn of the century, “Johnson’s lyrics eloquently captured the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans,” according to the NAACP.

The song was later adopted by the NAACP and used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

When did ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ become part of the Super Bowl?

The NFL committed to play “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before season openers during the 2020 season, following the civil unrest over police brutality that played out during the summer of 2020.

In 2020, the song was played before all 16 of the Week 1 games before “The Star Spangled Banner,” according to the NFL. During that time, the league said it was working to “amplify work done by its players and the families who are trying to address social justice issues.”

Singer and songwriter Alicia Keys performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in a pre-recorded video before the 2021 Super Bowl. A rendition of the song has been a part of the pregame show since then.

In 2022, gospel duo Mary Mary performed the song outside SoFi Stadium at the 2022 Super Bowl, while actress Sheryl Lee Ralph performed the anthem on the field for the first time before the 2023 Super Bowl.

Why is the ‘Black National Anthem’ controversial?

Critics have cited calling the song the Black national anthem as creating a racial divide.

“America only has ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Why is the NFL trying to divide us by playing multiple!? Do football, not wokeness,” Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., tweeted before the 2023 Super Bowl performance.

Meanwhile, supporters have argued that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was written and popularized decades before “The Star-Spangled Banner” became America’s national anthem in 1931.

“If the goal was to divide us, the NFL’s decision to include the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the Super Bowl missed the mark,” said Donna Jackson, Project 21’s director of membership development. “During the Super Bowl, this song should cause us to reflect on the sacrifices Lincoln made to keep these United States as one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for ALL.”

Read the full lyrics of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’

Lift ev’ry voice and sing,

‘Til earth and heaven ring,

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;

Let our rejoicing rise

High as the list’ning skies,

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

Let us march on ’til victory is won.