Music is a universal art; anybody’s music belongs to everybody; you can’t limit it to race or country.

The final measure of the greatness of all peoples is the amount and standard of the literature and art they have produced.

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist.  He was actively involved in the leadership of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).  He wrote lyrics for the hymn, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which later became known as the national anthem for African-Americans.