Marian Anderson

Posted October 5, 2011 by felicialavette in Voices

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/inspirational-people/women-who-changed-our-world#slide-16
http://www.afrovoices.com/anderson.html

Marian Anderson 1897 – 1993
 SINGER & Activist

In 1939, the DAR refused to let Anderson sing in DC’s Constitution Hall because she was black. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR, and her husband’s administration arranged an outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial for a crowd of 75,000 and millions of radio listeners. Anderson was the first African American to sing with the Metropolitan Opera. The singer received numerous awards and honors during her life. She was given the NAACP’s Spingarn Award by Roosevelt in 1938 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon Johnson in 1963. She received honorary doctorates from over two dozen universities. Anderson performed before heads of state, including the king and queen of England and at the presidential inagurations of Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. From 1957-58, she served as a goodwill ambassador with the United States State Deparment.

Anderson retired in 1965 with a final concert, conducted by her nephew, James De Priest, in Philadelphia. She settled with her husband, Orpheus Fisher, on a farm in Connecticut until she moved to De Priest’s Portland, Oregon, home in July 1992. She suffered a stroke the following spring and died of congestive heart failure on April 8, 1993. In June, over 2,000 admirers attended a memorial service held in her honor at Carnegie Hall in New York. After short statements by violinist Isaac Stern and De Priest, the remainder of the service consisted of playing several representative recordings from Anderson’s repertoire.

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About the Author

felicialavette

I cringe at the thought of writing my bio, because how can I truly explain how multidimensional I am in just a few short sentences. First, I am a child of God. Next, I am a wife and a mother. My passion is Sister Girl News and educating others. The way to my heart is chocolate, barbeque chicken, and Dr. Pepper soda. My daily goal is to ensure that everyone who meets me always walks away laughing.