Singing Down Barriers

 born February 27, 1897  born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  singer  diplomat  died April 8, 1993

 trained with Giuseppe Boghetti  sang at Lewisohn Stadium in New York  performed in Carnegie Hall for the first time in 1928  European tour after winning a Julius Rosenwald scholarship  by late 1930s, famous on both sides of Atlantic

 in the U. S. she was invited by President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor to perform at the White House, the first African American ever to receive this honor  in 1955, she became the first African- American singer to perform as a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City

 in 1961 she performed the national anthem at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration  in 1963 she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom

 in 1963, sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington  in 1991, received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement

 in 1939, was refused the opportunity to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.  she was told there were no dates available

 in truth, Constitution Hall was owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and they had a whites only policy for those who performed in the hall

 when word leaked out, an uproar ensued  Eleanor Roosevelt was a leader of this uproar

 Marian Anderson was invited to sing at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday  she performed in front of 75,000 people and millions more listened on the radio  Eleanor Roosevelt resigned her membership in the DAR

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.