African American contralto
Marian Anderson sang on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939. A peaceful crowd of seventy-five thousand people stretched from the Lincoln Memorial to the
Washington Monument to attend the free concert; thousands more tuned in to
listen on the radio. The Daughters of the American Revolution had barred the world-renowned singer from appearing in Washington's prestigious Constitution Hall because she was African American. First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt and Secretary of the Interior
Harold Ickes rallied support for her public appearance on the Mall, focusing public attention on racial discrimination and inequality.