![]() She sang the Stephen Sondheim song, “Not While I’m Around,” from his musical “Sweeney Todd,” an attempt to communicate what she was feeling as the mother of a Black son. At last year’s show, Williams said her musical selections expressed the angst that Black women - especially mothers - were feeling. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson, later added music to lyrics, according to the NAACP. Lift Every Voice and Sing was reportedly written as a poem by organization leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. Williams serves as host this year but it’s not be the first time that she‘s brought current social changes to the festivities. Vanessa Williams performing Lift Every Voice and Sing as The Star-Spangled Banner. The show is broadcast to millions of viewers on PBS and streaming platforms as well as troops around the globe. “A Capitol Fourth” is marking 41 years on the air. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of African American slaves and has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States. So we are reflective of the times,” she told the Associated Press on Thursday while promoting this year’s show. “It’s in celebration of the wonderful opportunity that we now have to celebrate Juneteenth. Williams, who was the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America, will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which has served as the Black National Anthem. ![]() NEW YORK (AP) - When Vanessa Williams hosts this year’s televised Capitol Fourth celebration, she will not only honor the nation’s traditional independence day, but also the country’s newly designated holiday - Juneteenth. ![]()
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