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Marian Anderson Sings On

Back in the day on April 9th, 1939, African-American singer Marian Anderson performed before 75,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The open-air event was not originally on Anderson’s schedule of appearances, but, instead, was organized after she was denied from singing at Washington D.C.’s Constitution Hall. The singer’s manager, Sol Hurok, had sought to book Anderson at the large venue, as her audience was growing ever larger. The Daughters of the American Revolution, who managed Constitution Hall, found out that Anderson was black, and refused to allow the show to happen. Shock and outrage followed. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the organization and Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes was persuaded to invite Anderson to perform at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday.

Broadcast before millions, the singer subtlely changed the lyrics of ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee’ from ‘I sing,” to “We sing,” in acknowledging the diverse gathering’s triumph over petty racism.

For Uprising, this is your truth professa’ saying it’s no mystery why they conceal our people’s history