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Marian Anderson singing from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before a crowd of 75,000 people, 4/9/1939. (NARA ID 595378)
Marian Anderson’s 1939 EASTERConcert
By Miriam Kleiman, Public Affairs
Marian Anderson was the Beyoncé of the opera world when she was invited to perform in DC at a concert planned for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Constitution Hall. The DAR’s decision to bar her from doing so due to its “all-white performer policy” led to a turning point in civil rights history - her historic Easter concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before a crowd of 75,000 admirers. Listen to this incredible concert online and discover through our records:
- Did the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) reallyhave an “all-white performer policy”?
- How was First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt involved, and did she really resign from DAR?
- What was the role of Howard University and its Omega Psi Phi Fraternity?
Eleanor Roosevelt to John Lovell, Jr. of Howard University, 2/26/1939.
Eleanor Roosevelt and Marian Anderson in Japan, 5/22/1953, NARA ID 195989.
Petition from Omega Psi Phi, April 1939. (Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives).
Marian Anderson Poster, 8/26/1957, NARA ID 6948897.
President John F. Kennedy with Singer Marian Anderson and her accompanist Franz Rupp in the Oval Office 3/22/1962. JFK Library ID AR7113-A.
Related upcoming program for kids!
Meet Marian Anderson!National Archives Comes Alive Young Learners Program
Thursday, May 19, 2022 at 11 am EDT, View on YouTube.
See online:
- Pieces of Historypost by Adam Berenbak, Center for Legislative Archives.
- ReDiscovering Black History post by Alexis Hill, Special Media divisione
- Marian Anderson Performs at the Lincoln Memorial, DocsTeach
- Eleanor Roosevelt and Marian Anderson, FDR Library
- Eleanor Roosevelt Resigns from the Daughters of the American Revolution, FDR Library
