"This Little Light of Mine" is an American gospel song that originated in the 1920s, when it was first sung in Christian churches and penitentiaries.[1] The hymn is often attributed to evangelist Harry Dixon Loes who is said to have written it for children, using the biblical passage about the lamp under a bushel as inspiration.[2] However, researchers at the Moody Bible Institute said they found no evidence that he wrote it, though they noted that Loes did create the popular arrangement of the hymn in the 1940s.[3][4] The gospel song became popular among African-American Christians,[5] and it was later adapted by Zilphia Horton, amongst many other activists, in connection with the civil rights movement.[6] "This Little Light of Mine" is printed in the hymnals of various Christian denominations.[2]
