Past Events

Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening 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 till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand.
True to our God,
True to our native land.

An Opening Reception for the traveling exhibit Telling A People’s Story: African-American Children’s Illustrated Literature will be held on February 1, 2019, 7:00pm – 8:30pm at The Library Center (4653 S. Campbell Avenue). The Telling a People’s Story Exhibit follows the journey of African American People from Africa past to America present through children’s books. A highlight to the exhibit will be a speaking visit in March 2019 by best-selling children’s book illustrator  AG Ford whose art work is featured in the exhibit. The exhibit showing is in celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Springfield African American Read-In. Telling a People’s Story will be on display at The Library Center from February 2019 thru March 2019 and on display at the Missouri State University, Meyer Library from April 2019 thru May 2019. The exhibit reception, which is free and open to a general public, will feature music, games, and prizes. Refreshments will be served.

Panels from the exhibit Telling a People’s Story