Marian Anderson 1897-1993
NYSUT celebrates Black History Month in February with a poster highlighting the life and career of singer Marian Anderson.
[Download Black History Month poster]
Anderson earned much acclaim and honors early in her career in Europe and Scandinavia during the late 1920s and '30s, but was routinely subjected to racism when she returned to the United States. The most infamous incident occurred in 1939 when the singer was not allowed to perform in Washington, D.C.'s DAR Constitution Hall, which allowed concerts "by white artists only." The public was outraged, famous musicians protested, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), who owned the hall.
Roosevelt and the NAACP encouraged Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes to arrange a free open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for Easter Sunday. On April 9, Anderson sang before 75,000 people and millions of radio listeners. Several weeks later, she gave a private concert at the White House, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt was entertaining King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Britain.
The poster is free. You can download printable posters at www.nysut.org or order from NYSUT via email at orders@nysutmail.org. Reference Project No. 514B/13; include your name and mailing address.