Today in Mighty Girl history, Marian Anderson, the acclaimed singer and civil rights pioneer, was born in 1897. One of the most celebrated singers of the past century, Anderson was a major figure in helping African American artists gain increased acceptance and overcome racial barriers in mid-twentieth century America. Growing up in Philadelphia, Marian Anderson's musical talent was evident from a young age and her parents did everything they could to encourage her musical pursuits. Anderson was only six when she began performing with the Union Baptist Church, where she was often referred to as “baby contralto”. Her family was unable to afford piano lessons, so little Marian taught herself to play starting at the age of eight. Her community was so impressed with her commitment that they raised enough money to pay for private lessons with a well-known vocal instructor. As a young adult, Anderson performed at Carnegie Hall in 1928, and spent much of the 1930s touring through Europe. While touring in the US, she encountered prejudice in certain communities and was refused lodging in hotels on different occasions. In the most famous case of discrimination, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused to grant permission for Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. In response to this affront, then First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt not only resigned her membership from the DAR, but together with her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the executive secretary of the NAACP, organized what would become a historic performance at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday in 1939. Anderson performed for an integrated crowd of 75,000, as well as several millions via radio. In her autobiography, she reflected on the experience, stating: “All I knew then was the overwhelming impact of that vast multitude.… I had a feeling that a great wave of good will poured out from these people.” Anderson continued to perform in many venues over the next several decades. Only four years after denying her the opportunity, the DAR invited her to sing at Constitution Hall in 1943. In 1955, she became the first African American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She also sang at the inaugurations of both Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 and John F. Kennedy in 1961. She was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and sang at the 1963 March on Washington. Anderson received many accolades during her lifetime including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, the George Peabody Medal, the National Medal of Arts, the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, and a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement. She died at the age of 96 in 1993. To introduce this role model to children, we highly recommend the picture book “When Marian Sang” for ages 4 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/when-marian-sang) and the Newbery Honor book “Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights” for ages 9 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-voice-that-challenged-a...) For adult readers who would like to learn more about her inspiring story, we recommend the exceptional book "The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Concert That Awakened America" at http://amzn.to/2F0C5JW Marian Anderson is one of several pioneering women featured in the illustrated biography, "Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History" for ages 6 to 10 at https://www.amightygirl.com/little-leaders For more books about courageous girls and women of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, check out our post on "50 Inspiring Books on Girls & Women of the Civil Rights Movement" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11177 And, for more stories of female singers, artists, and other creative spirits, visit our "Creative Arts" section at https://www.amightygirl.com/.../general.../creative-arts
