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KNOW YOUR MUSICAL LEGACY: Marion Anderson
An Original Diva In this era of American Idol, Dream Girls and instant fame and fortune, perhaps it is fitting that we acknowledge the 110th birthday of an original diva - Marion Anderson.Legendary contralto, Marion Anderson, the first African American soloist to perform at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 27, 1897. A year later, baritone great Paul Robeson was born just a few hours north of Philadelphia in Princeton, New Jersey. The careers of Anderson and Robeson were parallel in many ways. Most important was their international stardom - both traveled the world extensively and arguably enjoyed more freedom and appreciation abroad than at home. Anderson won the Julius Rosenwald scholarship allowing her to train abroad in England, France, Belgium, Holland, the former Soviet Union and Scandinavia. She toured Europe many times in her career. In 1939 Anderson received the Springarn Medal given annually to a black American who "shall have made the highest achievement during the preceding year or years in any honorable field of endeavor." That same year she was denied the right to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. because the venue owners, The Daughters of the American Revolution enforced a clause in their contract that stated "concerts by whites only." DAR member Eleanor Roosevelt resigned in protest. As an alternative to the Constitution Hall concert, Anderson's representatives arranged for her to perform at the Lincoln Memorial. In attendance were 75,000 people, the largest turnout to date. Although she was reluctant to view herself as an activist, the Lincoln Memorial concert has been said to be one of the most dramatic events in civil rights history. Several weeks later, at the invitation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anderson performed at the White House for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England, making her the first African American to perform at the White House. In spite of her treatment by the Daughters of the American Revolution Anderson remained a patriot. She performed in hospitals and bases for the troops in World War II and the Korean War. In 1957 she toured India and the Far East as a goodwill ambassador through the U.S. State Department and the American National Theater and Academy. She traveled 35,000 miles in 12 weeks, giving 24 concerts. Upon her return from the State Department tour, President Eisenhower appointed her as a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. As a member of the United Nations Trusteeship Committee, Anderson helped oversee the well-being of more than 100 million people living in U.N. trust territories in Africa and the South Pacific. She was a favorite of several U.S. presidents and sang at the inaugurations of Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. In 1963 Anderson sang at the historic March on Washington. That same year she was awarded the American Medal of Freedom. Ironically, Marion Anderson launched her retirement tour at the very hall where she had been denied so many years before, Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. She said of her brilliant career; "The faith and confidence of others in me have been like shining, guiding stars." Marion Anderson passed away on April 8, 1993 at the age of 96, leaving a legacy of excellence and selfless service to a world of adoring fans. Article also published in Dallas Weekly & EURWeb |
