On Tuesday, June 3, the Wiscasset Elementary School Chorus visited the Maine State House as guests of Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, and Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, who represents Wiscasset. The students performed the National Anthem in the Senate Chamber before singing in the State House Rotunda, where their set included “This Land Is Your Land” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the hymn written by civil rights leader James Weldon Johnson.

Their visit came just weeks after Gov. Janet Mills signed into law legislation from Sen. Talbot Ross to name a railroad crossing in Wiscasset in Johnson’s honor. LD 243, “Resolve, to Name a Railroad Crossing in Wiscasset the James Weldon Johnson Crossing,” marks the first known instance of a railroad crossing in Maine being named through legislation.

“Seeing these students honor James Weldon Johnson through music, just steps from where we passed the bill in his name, was deeply powerful,” said Sen. Talbot Ross. “Their voices filled the State House with hope — not only for what they sang, but for who they are. In learning and lifting up his legacy, they embody the very belief that sustained him: that a better future is always worth working toward.”

James Weldon Johnson's life’s work advanced the principles of democracy, justice and equality both nationally and internationally. His contributions to the U.S. were wide-ranging, encompassing law, diplomacy, education, literature and the arts. As a prominent civil rights leader, Johnson worked to protect voting rights, combat racial violence and uphold the nation’s founding ideals.

Born in 1871, Johnson became the first Black attorney admitted to the Florida Bar since Reconstruction and served as a school principal early in his career. He went on to represent the U.S. abroad as a diplomat under President Theodore Roosevelt, where he promoted democratic values and global cooperation.

Johnson was also a celebrated writer and composer. His poem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” originally written to mark Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, was later set to music by Johnson's brother and has become a powerful anthem of hope, perseverance and unity. The performance by the Wiscasset Elementary School Chorus was especially fitting given the history of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” A choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, where Johnson was principal, first performed the song in public in Jacksonville, Florida, to celebrate Lincoln’s birthday.

This year, the Legislature marked the 125th anniversary of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by passing a Joint Resolution, sponsored by Sen. Talbot Ross, commemorating the poem and Johnson's legacy. Additionally, since 2022, Maine has recognized Johnson’s birthday every year on June 17 as James Weldon Johnson Day.

In 1938, Johnson was killed in an automobile accident at the railroad crossing in Wiscasset that is now named in his honor. His passing was mourned across the country, with more than 2,000 people attending his funeral. Today, his legacy continues to inspire generations committed to equity and civic progress.

 This designation is the first recorded time in Maine history that a railroad crossing is named through legislation. MaineDOT has indicated it will install the signage using existing resources and confirmed there are no financial requirements associated with the bill.