Announcing the Bee Blunt x JWJF Lift Every Voice and Sing Scarf

We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with Bee Blunt, the lifestyle and fashion brand founded by Portia Blunt. A former Reebok SVP and seasoned industry veteran, Portia founded Bee Blunt in 2022 with a clear and beautiful purpose: to celebrate Black history and bring the untold stories of Black American culture to life through beautifully crafted clothing and accessories. It is a mission that resonates deeply with our own, and we could not be more excited to be working together.

The Scarf

Introducing the Bee Blunt x JWJF Lift Every Voice and Sing Scarf. Featuring an original design by Portia Blunt and crafted from 100% silk, the scarf is a wearable celebration of James Weldon Johnson's enduring hymn and the living tradition it represents. It is the kind of object that carries meaning beyond its beauty: a piece of wearable art rooted in history, crafted with intention, and designed to be passed down. Bee Blunt will generously donate a portion of all scarf sales to the James Weldon Johnson Foundation, in keeping with the brand's commitment to supporting nonprofits and their missions.

About The Design

The Bee Blunt x JWJF design is inspired by the enduring words and legacy of James Weldon Johnson, author of Lift Every Voice and Sing, a hymn that has become a cornerstone of the Black American experience. More than a song, Johnson's work stands as a powerful testament to resilience, faith, perseverance, and hope in the face of adversity. Portia Blunt's design does not simply illustrate the hymn; it enters into dialogue with it, translating its emotional and spiritual depth into a visual language that is at once bold, layered, and deeply felt.

Like the hymn itself, the design is woven together through themes of heritage, struggle, triumph, ambition, and collective memory. It reflects the full complexity of the Black American journey: a story marked by both profound pain and extraordinary beauty, by generations of endurance and generations of grace. Every element of the composition is deliberate, inviting the viewer to look closely and find within it something of their own history and their own sense of possibility.

Just as James Weldon Johnson was a visionary whose contributions spanned literature, civil rights, education, and culture, this design embraces that same breadth of vision. It is a reminder that Black American history is not singular but richly textured, shaped by countless individuals whose courage and determination created pathways for future generations. In honoring Johnson's legacy, the design also honors all those who have carried his words forward, in churches and classrooms, at marches and ceremonies, on stages large and small, for more than 125 years.

At its heart, the Bee Blunt x JWJF scarf is an embodiment of hope. It invites us to lift our voices, honor our ancestors, and continue the work of building a future worthy of their sacrifices. We are deeply grateful to Portia Blunt and the Bee Blunt team for bringing this vision to life, and we look forward to sharing it with our community this summer.