History
Denied a concert hall because of her race, Marian Anderson sang from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939, to a crowd of 75,000 people.
ILLUSTRATION · AIOn April 9, 1939, Marian Anderson sang from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to an integrated crowd of 75,000 people.
That year the Daughters of the American Revolution denied Anderson the use of Constitution Hall, which at the time banned Black performers, the National Park Service says. The NAACP and her manager, Sol Hurok, arranged for her to sing at the Lincoln Memorial instead, and Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes helped organize the Easter Sunday event.
Anderson opened with 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee.' The concert lasted 25 minutes. In support of Anderson, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned her membership in the DAR.
SourcesEvery claim traced
- Tier 2 · Secondary1939
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