Marian Anderson

I am currently reading The Time of Our Singing, a work of fiction in which the parents meet at Marian Anderson's concert at the Lincoln Memorial. About the concert, this bio from Afrovoices says:

"The most highly publicized racial instance involving Anderson occurred in 1939 when Hurok and officials from Howard University tried to arrange a concert for her in Constitution Hall, the largest and most appropriate indoor location in Washington, D.C. The hall's owners, the Daughters of the American Revolution, sparked national protests when they refused to allow her to sing there.

"In answer to the protests, the United States Department of the Interior, with active encouragement from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, scheduled a concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial fon April 9, 1939. The Easter Sunday program drew a crowd of 75,000 people and millions of radio listeners, and the entire episode caused the news media to focus greater attention on subsequent cases of discrimination involving Anderson and other African Americans."

Because the DAR refused Anderson's performance in their hall, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote this letter resigning from the DAR.

Of course, I have only had the chance to listen to recordings of Marian Anderson, but even the recordings are still very powerful.

More links:
- The Kennedy Center has another bio online for her.
- Here's a link to an interview with her nephew and a fellow singer. The Newshour also did a special segment on Anderson at the centennial of her birth.
- Go here to learn more about the amazing Ms. Anderson.