Turbulent Times Turned an Artist into a Hero
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 “all men are created equal.” 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 “comes around once in a hundred years” by maestros in Europe and widely celebrated by both white and black audiences at home, her fame hadn’t been enough to spare her from the indignities and outright violence of racism and segregation.
Rob Rapley
Director, Writer
Marian Anderson
Self (archive footage)
Renée Elise Goldsberry
Narrator (voice)
Allida M. Black
herself
Angela Brown
herself
Lucy Caplan
herself
Alisha Lola Jones
herself
Adriane Lentz-Smith
herself
Carol Oja
herself
Jillian Patricia Pirtle
herself
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