Here the lyrics are credited to Harriette Hamilton

... For inspiration, Peterson drew upon various church renderings of Negro spirituals recalled from his childhood in Montreal. He aimed to maintain the unadorned, yet poignant quality of these early Baptist hymns while composing the beginning chorus of Hymn to Freedom. Upon its completion, Peterson and Granz decided that lyrics would complement the music and contacted Malcolm Dodds, composer, arranger and choir director of The Malcolm Dodds Singers; a backup group for many popular artists of the day.
Dodds turned to his collaborator Harriette Hamilton, who had been writing lyrics for the choral group's original compositions for several years. According to Hamilton, "all the lyrics had to do was express in very simple language the hope for unity, peace and dignity for mankind. It was easy to write."

http://www.cshf.ca/song/hymn-to-freedom/?