behindthegrooves:

On this day in music history: April 9, 1939 – Opera contralto Marian Anderson performs on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. The famed opera singer is barred from performing a concert at Constitution Hall, owned by the Daughters Of The American Revolution (D.A.R.) because she is black. As a result of the furor this creates, thousands of D.A.R. members including First Lady Of The United States Eleanor Roosevelt resign from the organization in protest. Mrs. Roosevelt and Secretary Of The Interior Harold L. Ickes intervenes on Ms. Anderson’s behalf, arranging for her perform at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall on Easter Sunday. Accompanied by pianist Kosti Vehanen, Anderson sings before an integrated audience of over 75,000 people at the memorial, with the concert also being broadcast live on radio across the United States to an audience of millions. The concert is regarded as an important event in American history in the fight against racial prejudice and discrimination. The event is captured on film for the documentary film “Marian Anderson: The Lincoln Memorial Concert”. In 2001, the film is selected for preservation by the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, for its ongoing cultural and historic significance.