On Easter Sunday, 1939, contralto Marian Anderson stepped up to a microphone in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Inscribed on the walls of the monument behind her were the words âall men are created equal.â Barred from performing in Constitution Hall because of her race, Anderson would sing for the American people in the open air. Hailed as a voice that âcomes around once in a hundred yearsâ by maestros in Europe and widely celebrated by both white and black audiences at home, her fame hadnât been enough to spare her from the indignities and outright violence of racism and segregation.
