BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI

North Country This Week

GOUVERNEUR — The “Black National Anthem” will be played at the Gouverneur Central School high school graduation Friday with or without school approval, a parent of a multi-racial child is vowing.

Tonya House told North Country This Week that, in an act of civil disobedience, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” would be played “either on the school’s PA system or by some other means, but it will be played.”

House said her daughter, Niciara House-Bowman, asked to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at commencement, but was turned down by Superintendent Jacquelyn Kelly and high school Principal Corey Wood.

“She asked them months ago to sing it along with the Star Spangled Banner and they denied her the chance,” House said. Niciara comes from a musical family, having participated in a number of musical groups in school.

Written in 1900 as a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has come to the forefront in recent years, with both the NFL and NBA having played it along with the national anthem before games. Many social justice organizations nationwide have lobbied for wider acceptance of the song as a universal symbol of Black culture during special events and ceremonies.

During an interview with NCTW, House and her daughter detailed numerous instances during which they say Gouverneur students referred to Blacks as “monkeys” and the “N word.”

“It’s progressively gotten worse every year, without a doubt,” Niciara said.

She said she went to school administrators a number of times to address the issues.

Although the school officials did not wish to be interviewed for the story, Kelly provided the following statement.

School responds

“There was a request from a graduating senior to sing a solo (or possibly a duet) at our graduation ceremony. We have a structured graduation ceremony that recognizes every student and the achievements they have made over the course of the past thirteen years of their educational careers. The culmination is when each student is called up to receive their diploma. Our structured ceremony does not incorporate any individually requested songs or activities to be performed.

“The ceremony will follow the same traditional format and content as seen in past years. This includes the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, a group performance from our high school choir, various speakers, and of course recognition of our graduates.

I'm so proud of each and every one of our one hundred Gouverneur High School graduates and all they have accomplished while completing their high school education. I am looking forward to celebrating their achievements as a community at our graduation ceremony.”

House says that the simply playing a recording of the song was also denied by the school.

Conversation with Superintendent

In conversation with Supt. Kelly two weeks prior to graduation, that House recorded and shared publicly, House questioned why the “Star Spangled Banner” would be performed but even a simple recording of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” could not be played.

Kelly replied that the graduation ceremony historically did not include solos or duets, which would be the case if Niciara performed the Black national anthem.

But House refuted the claim in the recording. She said solos and duets were performed when she graduated from Gouverneur years ago and her son performed a solo at a more recent graduation ceremony.

Kelly then told her it was too late to add an additional song to the ceremony. House maintained there was ample time.

“They just don’t want to play it, they’re worried about offending people. It’s not like we want them to remove the ‘Star Spangled Banner,' we just want them to include the Black National Anthem as well,” she told North Country This Week.

At one point, House said school officials decided not to include the “Star Spangled Banner” in this year’s commencement ceremony, because it had no relevance to the academic achievements of the students.

But ultimately, Kelly told House that the decision was made to include the national anthem to keep the ceremony traditional. Kelly said community input led to the re-inclusion of the national anthem during the ceremony.

“You yourself are now valuing one version of America over another,” House said in the recording.

Kelly rebutted the claim, saying administrators had to be responsive to the statements being made in the community. She said she didn’t believe it was discriminatory to include the national anthem.

Conversation with Principal

Earlier, during a June 7 phone conversation that House recorded and shared publicly, Niciara told Wood that numerous schools are playing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Wood said he was responsible for the graduation program, but the music choices would fall to the three faculty members in the music department.

That was questioned by House, who said Niciara spoke to the music department faculty and they appeared to be okay with the inclusion of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

“Then she was told it would be discussed among the board, and Corey (Wood) would have the final say,” House told NCTW.

Wood told House and her daughter in the recorded phone conversation that they “get how our community is” and that many residents would perceive the inclusion of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as a “jab” at the national anthem.

Niciara acknowledged some people “would sort of be combative against it” and that would have to be taken into consideration.

“How many times have you come down to my office to discuss racism?” Wood asked her.

Niciara confirmed she did multiple times, detailing a racist incident during which students tore down her posters that promoted the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Club.

Niciara founded the DEI Club, which has roughly 20 members in grades 9-12.

History of ‘Lift Every Voice’

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” was originally a hymn written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson.

“The song was first performed by a choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, where Johnson was principal in Jacksonville, Florida, to celebrate President Abraham Lincoln's birthday,” according to the NAACP.