Lift Every Voice looks at the trials and triumphs of the first generation of African Americans born into freedom. Bert Wiliams and George Walker, who forged careers as Vaudeville stars, struggle to transcend the stereotypes of the minstrel tradition as they reclaim genuine elements of black culture and win a mainstream audience. In New Orleans, talented musicians create the exuberant sound that the entire world comes to recognize as original American music: jazz. And a powerful new medium--film--allows Oscar Micheaux to make motion pictures that reflect the complexities of black life during an era of entrenched racial segregation and conflict.