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New Orleans Association of Black Social Workers, INC.  By-Laws

Constitution and By-Laws

NEW ORLEANS ASSOCIATION OF BLACK SOCIAL WORKERS, INC.

 

 

Code of Ethics - National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW)

 

In America today, no Black person, except the selfish or irrational, can claim neutrality in the quest for Black liberation nor fail to consider the implications of the events taking place in our society. Given the necessity for committing ourselves to the struggle for freedom, we as Black Americans practicing in the field of social welfare set forth this statement of ideals and guiding principles.

 

 If a sense of community awareness is a precondition to humanitarian acts, then we as Black social workers must use our knowledge of the Black community, our commitments to its self-determination, and our helping skills for the benefit of Black people as we marshal our expertise to improve the quality of life of Black people. Our activities will be guided by our Black consciousness, our determination to protect the security of the Black community, and to serve as advocates to relieve the suffering of Black people by any means necessary.

 

 Therefore, as Black social workers we commit ourselves, collectively, to the interests of our  Black brethren and as individuals subscribe to  the following statements:

 

I regard as my primary obligation the welfare of the Black individual, Black family, and Black community and will engage in action for improving social conditions.

 

 I give precedence to this mission over my personal interest.

 

I adopt the concept of a Black extended family and embrace all Black people as my brothers and sisters, making no distinction between their destiny and my own.

 

 

 I hold myself responsible for the quality and extent of service I perform and the quality and extent of service performed by the agency or organization in which I am employed, as it relates to the Black community.

 

I accept the responsibility to protect the Black community against unethical and hypocritical practice by any individual or organizations engaged in social welfare activities.

 

I stand ready to supplement my paid or professional advocacy with voluntary service in the Black public interest.

 

I will consciously use my skills, and my whole being as an instrument for social change, with particular attention directed to the establishment of Black social institutions.

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

Chapter’s History**************************************************** 1-2

 

National ‘s History*****************************************************3

 

Article I

            Name******************************************************* 5

 

Article II

            Purpose***************************************************** 5

 

Article III

            Seal******************************************************** 5

 

Article IV

            Membership***************************************************6

 

Article V

            Dues and Financing******************************************* 6

 

Article VI

            Fiscal Year************************************************** 6

 

Article VII

            Officers*************************************************** 7-9

 

Article VIII

            The Executive Committee*************************************9-10

 

Article IX

            Meeting: Time, Date, and Place*********************************10

 

Article X

            Nominating Committee****************************************10-11

​

Article XI

            Standing Committee***************************************** 11-15

 

Article XII

            Amendments**************************************************** 15

​

National Black Anthem******************************************************16

 

 

 

 

Article I.

NAME

            The name of the Association shall be the New Orleans Association of Black Social Workers, Incorporated. 

 

Article II.

PURPOSE

  1. To join Black Social Workers together for the general welfare of the African-American community.

 

  1. To work to the end that all African-American and poor people will have available the full spectrum of welfare and social services.

 

  1. To design and develop systems relevant to the needs of African-American people.

 

  1. To help African-American and poor people overcome the effects of racism and poverty.

 

  1. To advocate the cause of African-American and poor people and engage in social planning and social action, which will advance their welfare.

 

  1. To achieve maximum realization of the African-American potential for a social, economic, and political power base.

 

  1. To bring out a continuous evaluation of the performance of African-American social workers as it affects the Black community.

 

  1. To maximize the quality and quantity of services available to the African-American community.

 

  1. To join with other groups to achieve unity among African-American people.

 

 

Article III.

SEAL

            The Great Seal and Emblem shall be the same as the National Association of Black Social Workers, a shield with a scroll on one side representing, experience, and on the other side a spear representing a defense of the National Association’s philosophy “by any means necessary”.  At the bottom of the shield shall be the word “HARAMBEE” which mean togetherness.  The colors shall be red, black, and green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article IV.

MEMBERSHIP

            Any applicant of African descendancy , who subscribes to and adheres to the constitution and by-laws of the Association, may become a member.  Such a person shall be engaged in Human Services, i.e., social welfare, education, law, business, community services, etc.  To become a member, an applicant would have to be in good standing in the community.

 

Section 1.  Termination of Individual Membership:

A member may terminate his membership at any time by submitting his/her resignation in writing to the New Orleans Association of Black Social Workers

 

Section 2.  Sanctioning Authority:

The Association upon recommendation may sanction any active member who violates this constitution and by-laws by the Executive Committee.

 

Section 3.  Reinstatement of Individual Membership:

  1. Any former member can be reinstated by the payment of current dues unless his/her membership has been terminated for a violation other than dues payment.

 

  1. The Executive Committee upon the recommendation of the membership committee shall decide exception.

 

 

Article V.

DUES AND FINANCING

 

Section 1.  Regular Membership and Student dues payment:

  1. Regular Membership dues is $ 80.00

  2. Student dues is $35.00

 

 

 

Section 2.  Voting Privileges:

  1. Annual dues for all members are listed in Article V., Section 1, shall be payable on December 31st of each year.  A member who has not paid his/her annual dues after three months beyond his/her expiration date is “ipso facto” a financially inactive member, and shall not vote on matters coming before the Association.

 

B. Dues that are paid after August 31st will be applied to the next calendar year.

 

 

Article VI.

FISCAL YEAR

            The fiscal year of the New Orleans Association of Black Social Workers shall begin on the first day of January and end on the last day of December of each year.

 

 

 

 

Article VII.

OFFICERS

Section 1.  The Officers of the New Orleans Association of Black Social Worker shall be:   

  1. President

  2. Vice-President

  3. Recording Secretary

  4. Treasurer

  5. Financial Secretary

  6. Corresponding Secretary

  7. Parliamentarian

  8. Member-at-Large

  9. Student-at-Large

  10. Chaplain

 

Section 2.  Duties:

A.President

The President shall be the officer representative of the New Orleans Association of Black Social Workers.  He/She shall be the presiding officer of the Executive Committee, General Membership, and an ex-officio member of all committees.  He/She shall be available for consultation in all-major policies, shall appoint all persons whose selection is not otherwise specified in the constitution and by-laws; and

  

B.Vice President

The Vice-President shall be responsible for the functioning of all standing committees.  He/She shall fulfill the duties of the President in case of absence or disability. The Vice President shall be responsible for the functioning of all standing committees, but will serve as Chair of the Program Committee.  The Vice President shall be elected in accordance with the constitution and shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Chapter.

 

C.Recording Secretary

The Recording Secretary shall be responsible for the recording, distributing, and compiling of all minutes of proceedings of the Association, the Executive Committee and any general membership meeting duly called. The Recording Secretary shall be responsible for correspondences for the Association.  [The Recording Secretary shall notify both the Executive and General Membership of upcoming meetings via email with a copy of the agendas, and will record and provide to the bodies the minutes of the meetings via email.]. The minutes shall also be read at the General Meetings by the Recording Secretary.  The Recording Secretary shall be responsible for retrieving the mail from the Post Office Box, updating the membership roster and assist the President and Vice president with any additional task.  The Recording Secretary shall be a member of the financial and membership committee. The Recording Secretary shall be elected in accordance with the constitution and shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Chapter.

 

D.Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be responsible and accountable for the receipts, deposits, withdrawals and disbursements of all funds of the Association in conjunction with the President and Financial Secretary.  The Treasurer shall be elected in accordance with the constitution and shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Chapter.

                        The Specific duties of this office are:

  1. Receive all funds from the Financial Secretary

  2. Deposit and disburse all funds

  3. Keep a written account of all financial transactions and procedures in conjunction with the Financial Secretary

  4. Countersign all checks with the President or Financial Secretary

  5. Compile a monthly report and a semi-annual summary with the Financial Secretary which contain an exact statement of income, disbursements, and a current balance, submit same to the Recording Secretary

  6. Serve as Chairman of the Finance Committee

  7. Pay all authorized bills upon request

  8. Issue vouchers, attach them to canceled checks, return them to their proper place in a checkbook

  9. Compile an annual financial report of income and disbursements, etc., and submit same to each financial member

  10. Maintain a file of administrative materials to be passed on to the succeeding Treasurer

 

E.Financial Secretary

The Financial Secretary shall be elected in accordance with the constitution and shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Chapter. The Financial Secretary shall be responsible for chairing the Finance Committee, as well as the other duties specified below:

  1. Receive and record all Association monies and forward same to Treasurer

  2. Issue receipts for all monies received

  3. Keep a record of all income and disbursements

  4. Compile monthly report with the Treasurer which contains an exact statement income, disbursements, and a current balance

  5. Maintain a card file of all financially active members and distribute to Membership Chairperson

  6. Countersign Checks

  7. Compile an annual financial report of income and disbursements, etc.

  8. Shall serve as a member of the Finance Committee

  9. Serve as consultant to the Economic Development Committee on an as-needed basis

  10. Maintain a file of administrative material to be passed on to the succeeding Financial Secretary

 

F.Corresponding Secretary

The duties shall include but not limited to developing and replying to correspondence as directed by the Executive Committee of The Chapter. The Corresponding Secretary may also be involved with general communication of the organization via social media and the chapter website. The Corresponding Secretary sends out all communications from the Chapter, as well as, may share what each committee is doing.  The Corresponding Secretary should assure there is an up-to-date list of members maintained in the Chapter Office (as obtained from the Membership Committee Chairman) and develop effective means of communication with members via the chapter’s website or via email.  The Corresponding Secretary shall be elected in accordance with the Constitution and shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Chapter.

 

G.Parliamentarian

The Parliamentarian shall be responsible for the “Duties of the Parliamentarian” as stated in Roberts Rules of Order, (i.e., during a meeting the work of the parliamentarian should be limited to giving advice to the chair and when requested to any other member, etc.). The Parliamentarian shall be elected in accordance with the constitution and shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Chapter.

 

H.Member-at-Large

The Member at Large shall be responsible to gather all concerns of the Chapter’s members and bring it back to the Executive committee.  The Member-at-Large shall bring back all addressed concerns to the Chapter’s members.  The Member-at-Large acts as Chairman to the Chapter’s Membership Committee; shall track and update the Chapter’s membership; and shall provide monthly reports regarding the Chapter’s membership.    The Member-at-Large shall be elected in accordance with the Constitution and shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Chapter. 

 

I.Student-at-Large

The Student-at-Large shall keep up with current information from national relating to scholarship, stipend and etc.  The Student-at-Large function to recruit students serves to filter information between chapters and serves as a liaison between student chapters and the "main" Chapter.  Also will Act as the liaison between the local chapter, and Colleges and Universities.  The Student-at-Large shall perform additional duties as assigned.  The Student-at-Large shall be elected in accordance with the constitution and shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Chapter.

 

J.Chaplin

The Chaplin shall offer prayer/spiritual awakening and led the closing awakening when called upon to do so and perform any other duties that maybe assigned.  The Chapter serves on the Amenities Committee.

 

Section 3.  Term of Office:

            The term of office for all elected officials shall be for two years. An officer shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms.

 

Section 4.  Provision for Vacancies:

            In case of vacancy due to death, disability or resignation, the President shall be empowered to appoint a successor with the approval of the Executive Board Officers.  The person so appointed shall serve until the end of the unexpired term.

 

Section 5.  Status of Officers before Installment:

            The Officers elected shall be “officer-elects” until installed at the end of the February General Membership meeting.

 
Article VIII

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1.

            The Executive Committee shall consist of President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Corresponding Secretary,  Treasurer, and two (2) Members-At-Large (one representing students) and Chairpersons of Standing Committee plus the immediate past president (for one year succeeding termination as president) and the President Emeritus.

 

Section 2.  The Duties of Executive Committee:

  1. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once per month upon call by the President or an officer appointed by the President to serve in that capacity

  2. Plan agenda for monthly membership meetings

  3. Approve expenditures for the Association

  4. Facilitate the implementation of goals and objectives approved by the membership

  5. Take primary responsibility for the organization and mobilization of the Association membership

  6. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for periodic evaluation of the Association

  7. Shall serve in lieu of membership between monthly meetings

  8. Three consecutive unexcused absentees will constitute removable from office

 

Section 3.

            A quorum consists of five members of the Executive committee.

 

 

Article IX.

MEETING: TIME, DATE, AND PLACE

 

Section 1.  Meeting Schedule:

            The New Orleans Association of Black Social Worker shall meet monthly and upon call by the President for special meetings in a place chosen by the Executive Committee. 

 

The Association shall meet on the second Thursday of each month.

 

In the event that the 2nd prove to be unworkable, the general body will have the opportunity to vote upon another date and time.

 

Section 2.  Annual Meeting:

            The Associations meeting scheduled in March shall be designated as the Annual Meeting.  At this meeting, the newly elected officers shall be installed and officially take office.  This meeting should present the Founder’s Award.  Other programmatic aspects of the Annual Meeting (such as workshops and format) shall be approved by the Executive Committee.

 

Article X

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Section 1.

            There shall be an Ad Hoc Nominating Committee composed of no less than three and no more than five persons, appointed by the President at the September meeting, to bring in a slate of officers to the Executive Committee for approval.  Nomination will also be accepted from the floor at the time the Nominating Committee makes its report at the January Meeting.

 

Section 2.  Appointment of Chairperson:

            The President shall appoint the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee.

 

Section 3.  Number of Nominees:

            There shall be two nominees for each office and there shall be four nominated for the two member-at-large positions.  Nomination will accept off the floor.  No nominations will be emancipation. All nominees must have accepted the nomination before being placed on the slate.

 

Section 4. Elections:

            Election of officers and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be held at the regular January meeting.  Only persons certified by the Membership Committee and whose dues are paid within 10 days of the election shall be eligible to vote.  The Nominating Committee’s slate shall be mailed to all financially active members (2) two weeks prior to the regular January meeting.  Additional nominations may be made from the floor following the report of the Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee shall formulate a written ballot composed of its slate and any nominations that may have been made from the floor at the January meeting.  Ballots shall be tabulated by at least two (2) members of the Nominating Committee.  A simple plurality of the votes cast constitutes an election.  Results of the balloting will be announced at the January meeting and written notification sent to paid membership before election.  Officers and members-at-large of the Executive Committee having been duly elected shall take office at the March meeting for a term of two years ending at the installing of new officers at the March meeting. 

 

 

Article XI.

STANDING COMMITTEES

           

            There shall be eight (8) Standing Committees of the Association: Membership, Finance, Program, Social Action, Economic Development, Public Relations, Education, and International Relations,     The President of the Association shall appoint the Chairpersons of these committees.  All Standing Committees are to meet at least once a month.  The President and Vice President shall be notified of all meetings.  All meetings are open to the Association membership.

 

Section 1.  The Membership Committee:

The Membership Committee shall be composed of a Chairperson (Member-at-Large) and other Association members.

  1. The Membership Committee shall be responsible for these functional activities:

    1. Building an active membership through the recruitment and screening of all members and renewal of active members

    2. Certify newly paid members and maintain data on all members

    3. Certify current memberships for all elections and call votes

    4. Advocate, secure benefits, bonuses and advantages for paid members

    5. In conjunction with the President be responsible for the logistics of the membership meetings

    6. Maintain active and current membership roster of the Association with the National Association

    7. Initiate the installment procedure for new members, as well as, provide an orientation to the philosophy, purpose, goals and practices of the Association

    8. With the approval of the Executive Committee, provide services to the membership that will function to facilitate the mission of the Association.

  2. The Membership Committee shall meet once monthly at a place designated by the Chairperson

  3. The Membership Chairperson (Member-at-Large) is on the Executive Committee

  4. The Membership Committee shall maintain a file of administrative material to be passed on to the succeeding Membership Chairperson and Financial Secretary

  5. Coordinate and plan an annual recruitment event.

 

Section 1.1 Amenities Committee:

            The Amenities Committee shall be the responsibility of a sub-committee under the Membership Committee.  The Amenities sub-committee shall be responsible for those purchases for financial members as specified below:

  1. Wedding gifts for marriage not to exceed $25.00

  2. Silver and Golden Anniversary gifts not to exceed $25.00 if there is a celebration and an invitation is extended to the chapter

  3. Gifts to first born not to exceed $20.00 and all others a congratulatory card

  4. Retirement gift not to exceed $30.00

  5. A gift or plant, fruit, or basket not to exceed $25.00 for a three days hospital confinement or five days at home confinement per year. Unless otherwise specified by the family.

  6. A floral tribute to deceased members not to exceed $35.00

  7. A plant not to exceed $30.00 plus delivery charges for deaths of spouse, mother, father, parental figures and children.  Unless otherwise specified by the family.

  8. A gift for other memorable events or accomplishments approved by the Executive Board.

  9. The Executive Committee shall take the amount of contribution under advisement.

 

Section 2.  The Finance Committee:

  1. The Finance Committee shall be composed of Chairperson, the Financial Secretary, the Member-at- Large and two members agreed by the Chairperson and the President

  2. The Financial Secretary shall chair the Finance Committee:

    1. Prepare an annual budget to be approved by the Executive Committee and adopted by the Membership

    2. Make recommendations to the Executive Committee on request for expenditures and other financial transactions

    3. Recommend fund-raising ventures for the Association

    4. Monitor the Treasurer, initiate an annual audit to be presented to the Executive Committee and Association for approval

    5. Monitor and evaluate the fiscal structure, procedures and collections mechanism of all fund-raising activities and recommended improvements to the Executive Committee

    6. Maintain a file of administrative material to be passed on to the succeeding Chairpersons

  3. The Finance Committee shall meet monthly at a place designated by the Chairperson

  4. The Finance Chairperson shall serve on the Executive Committee

 

Section 3.  The Program Committee:

  1. The Program Committee is the service delivery component of the organization.  It is primarily responsible for designing, planning and recommending to the Executive Committee long-term service delivery models that address the problems and needs of the African-American community.  Upon approval by the Executive Committee, the Program Committee should be the primary source of program implementation and service delivery.

  2. The Program Committee shall sponsor at least one committee-sponsored

Conference/ workshop a year to address a major problem/issue affecting the African-American community.  The Executive committee before implementation shall approve the subject, time, place and other conferences/workshop logistics.

  1. The Program Committee shall be composed of a chairperson who is appointed by the President and African-American community citizens in good standing who choose to participate.

  2.  The Program Committee Chairperson shall be a member of the Executive Committee

  3. The Committee shall meet at least once monthly

  4. The Committee shall maintain a file of administrative material to be passed on to the succeeding Chairperson.

 

Section 4.   Social Action Committee:

  1. Social Action Committee, composed of the chairperson of the Social Action Committee and the Chairperson of the Action task Forces shall function as the advocacy-action component of the Association to address those social issues pertinent to the African-American community or violate the purpose of the Association as stated in Article II.

  2. The Task Force Chairperson may be appointed by the President, or the Chairperson of the Social Action Committee with the approval and consent of both the President and the Social Action Chairperson (as stated in Section 2, subsection A, the President appoints the Social Action Task Force Chairperson).  

  3. The Social Action Committee, through its Task Force structure, is authorized to identify concerns, develop position statements, make recommendations to the Executive committee for action and carry out those actions approved by the Executive Committee through the Task Force or in conjunction with the Social Action Committee. The task force nor individual officers is authorized to represent the Association on issues without the approval of the Executive Committee

    1. Actions carried out with the approval of the Executive Committee:

      1. Investigate, collect data, and analyze issues

      2. Develop a position on issues and recommend organizational action (recommendations must be presented to the Executive Committee for approval)

    2. Actions that must be approved by the Executive Committee before being carried out:

      1. Advocate positions on behalf of the Black community

      2. Disseminate information to the Black community with regard to the position taken by the Executive Committee

      3. Develop public forums pertaining to issues approved by the Executive Committee

      4. Form action coalitions

D. The Social Action Committee shall meet at least once monthly

  1. Social Action Task Forces are Ad-Hoc Committees mobilized to address specific categories of concerns.  Each Task Force is to be composed of Association members and community citizens concerned about the particular issue.  There is no limit to the size of the Task Force.  The Task Force shall be both pro-active (creating response by the system) as well as reactive (responding to actions taken by the system) in a manner specify by the by-laws.  The Task Force should exist as long as the problem issue prevails and is relevant

  2. The Chairperson of the Social Action Committee represents the individual Task Force on the Executive Committee

  3. The Committee shall maintain a file of administrative material to be passed on to the succeeding Chairperson

 

Section 5. Economic Development Committee:

  1. The purpose of the Economic Development Committee is to develop a framework of self-help, self-determination and self-sufficiency.  In addition to fund-raising activities, the major charge of this committee is to develop a means for the Association to own, manage and operate a profit-producing business. The Means shall be  developed to redirect the profits of the Association’s business ventures toward the fiscal structure of the Association

  2. The areas of concern for this Committee shall be two-fold: raising money for and through the Association and developing profit programs.  These two basic goals will be developed through either a plurality of the paid membership or the Executive Committee.

  3. The Committee shall be composed of a chairperson appointed by the President and Association members and other African-American citizens who adhere to the general philosophy of the Association and this Committee.  The President or his/her designee shall serve as an ex-officio member of this committee.

  4. The Economic Development Committee shall meet monthly and on call at the discretion of the Chairperson.

  5. All fund-raising profit ventures are to be approved by the Executive Committee

  6. The committee shall maintain a file of administrative material to be passed to the succeeding Chairperson.

 

Section 6. Public Relations Committee:

  1. The Public Relations Committee shall be composed of a Chairperson appointed by the President, active paid members of the Association, and other African-American citizens of the community who abide by the dictates of the constitution and by-laws.

  2. The Public Relations Committee shall meet at least monthly.

  3. With the approval of the Executive Committee, the Public Relations Committee shall Function as follows:

    1. Interpret the organization’s philosophy, objectives, policies, and practices to the public

    2. Assess the attitudes of the public toward the organization and its programs

    3. Correct misconceptions and answer criticism of the organization’s policies and practices

    4. On-going identification of specific sectors of the community who shall be informed of the organization’s purpose and objectives.

    5. Increase membership of the organization via various public relations efforts (coordinating with the Membership Committee)

    6. Publish a quarterly newsletter which is to be approved by the Executive Committee before distribution

    7. Develop a public relations pamphlet of the organization which gives a brief history, outlines philosophy, goals, objectives, and past accomplishments 

    8. Maintain a file of administrative material to be passed on to the succeeding Chairperson

 

Section 7. Education Committee.                               

                                    The Education Committee (EDCO) is composed of a chair and as many members as are interested.  The primary function of the EDCO is to review educational offerings for Social Work CEU worthiness.  The authority to approve such offerings has been granted by the Louisiana Board of Social Work Examiners and is termed a Social Work CEU Approval Organization.  This distinction is made for 5 years. 

It is also the responsibility of the EDCO to offer workshops totaling no less than 20 CEU per year of which no less than 10 are clinical information and 3 are of an Ethical nature.   The committee meets at least once per month.

 

                       

Section 8. International Relations Committee

            The International Relations Committee shall be responsible for establishing ties and relations with

Black people throughout the world.  It will recommend to the Steering Committee such actions, programs, and steps it deems necessary to bring about a stronger bond of cooperation and unity with the Embassy’s social justice, trade, and educational missions of African, Caribbean, and South American countries with sizable Black populations.  All efforts will be designed in keeping with our Code of Ethics.

 

Each committee shall submit to the President or its designee a monthly statement for the purpose of publication, regarding its contribution to furthering the NOABSW mission through its roles/duties as a committee.

Article XII
AMENDMENTS

            Amendments may be made to this constitution and by-laws provided these stipulations are met:

  1. Proposed amendments shall be submitted to the membership in writing by the Executive Committee 30 days before a vote.

  2. Two-thirds of the members present shall vote favorably

                                                                                                                             Adopted 08/2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               

 

 

 

LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING

 

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 hast brought us thus far on the way;

Thou who hast 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.

Songwriters: J. Rosamond Johnson / James Johnson

Vision

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