It was Easter Sunday on April 9, 1939. One of the world’s greatest singers, contralto Marian Anderson, had been denied permission to sing at Constitution Hall, owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, because of her race. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt quit the D.A.R. over the racist action and helped change the venue to the Lincoln Memorial. The incident placed the respected contralto into a spotlight unusual for a classical musician of the time.
75,000 people were in the audience that day. She was terrified. Later, she wrote: “I could not run away from this situation. If I had anything to offer, I would have to do so now.”
100-thousand Washingtonians gave her the ovation of a lifetime.
And some one-hundred thousand Washingtonians joined Ms. Roosevelt in giving the stuffy organization the finger.
Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Todd Williams (tenor sax), Wess “Warmdaddy” Anderson (alto sax), Marcus Roberts (piano), Reginald Veal (bass), Herlin Riley (drums) also performed years later.
Eleanor Roosevelt and the Marian Anderson concert 20700156
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