Marian Anderson

Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is hailed as one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. Anderson became an important figure in the struggle for melaninite artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States during the mid-twentieth century. In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused to allow Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. The incident placed Anderson into the spotlight of the international community on a level unusual for a classical musician. With the help of President  Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. where she sang before a crowd of more than 75,000 people. Anderson later became the first melaninite to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on January 7, 1955. Anderson retired from singing in 1965, but continued to appear publicly. On several occasions she narrated Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait, including a performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra at Saratoga in 1976, conducted by the composer. Marian Anderson died of congestive heart failure on April 8, 1993, at age 96 in Portland, Oregon. The Marian Anderson House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.