Editor's note: Due to a clerical error, the following essay was attributed to Elizabeth Sheridan. The author's name is Elizabeth Sherman.
Marian Anderson
Have you ever heard of Marian Anderson? In Philadelphia, Feb. 27, 1897 was a special day because Marian Anderson was born, that day was the birth of a star. Her life was very challenging with several obstacles to face as a singer of color.
When Marian was 12 her father died, and Marian had to go to work to help support the family. Marian delivered laundry that her mother took in, and scrubbed the white marble steps of Philadelphia row houses. Marian was a very hard worker, because she had to help the family. She knew she wanted to sing, so one day Anderson tried to apply to a Philadelphia music school, but the woman that did the applications was white. The white woman said, “We do not take colored people.”
When Marian was 18 she applied for another music school. The early 1900s were a difficult time for a young black woman to begin a professional singing career because of the fight between the races. That did not stop Anderson. She just kept singing and following her dream.
Anderson had been denied the right to sing in Washington's Constitution Hall because she was a person of color. The oldest of three girls, she was a happy child, especially when singing in the choir at the Union Baptist Church. From the beginning, adults noticed her naturally beautiful, powerful voice.
In 1925, Marian won a voice contest in New York and sang with the New York Philharmonic. Still, her chances to perform were limited. She traveled to Europe in 1928, where she became successful. As Marian's career progressed, America changed. She performed in many prestigious locations, including Constitution Hall, where she sang after the D.A.R changed its policies.
In 1936, Eleanor Roosevelt invited Anderson to sing at the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and herself. In 1935, the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini heard Anderson sing in Salzburg. “A voice like yours is heard once in hundreds of years,” he said.
By 1939, Marian was a world class singer. She returned to the United States to continue her career. Marian believed strongly in civil rights movements. With Mrs. Roosevelt's support, the Secretary of the Interior arranged a special concert for her. Marian's concert was considered to be America's first civil rights rally. Seventy-five thousand people attended.
As Marian's career progressed, America changed. By 1954, segregation was declared unconstitutional. The Civil Rights Act was signed into law in 1964, the year Marian retired from performing. By then, many of the barriers she had to fight through were disappearing. Marian's farewell tour began in the front of an admiring crowd at the Constitution Hall.
Marian died after living a wonderful and adventurous life in 1993 at the age of 96. It was a sad day, but Marian Anderson will always be remembered.
- Elizabeth Sherman
Seward Elementary School
Have you ever heard of Marian Anderson? In Philadelphia, Feb. 27, 1897 was a special day because Marian Anderson was born, that day was the birth of a star. Her life was very challenging with several obstacles to face as a singer of color.
When Marian was 12 her father died, and Marian had to go to work to help support the family. Marian delivered laundry that her mother took in, and scrubbed the white marble steps of Philadelphia row houses. Marian was a very hard worker, because she had to help the family. She knew she wanted to sing, so one day Anderson tried to apply to a Philadelphia music school, but the woman that did the applications was white. The white woman said, “We do not take colored people.”
When Marian was 18 she applied for another music school. The early 1900s were a difficult time for a young black woman to begin a professional singing career because of the fight between the races. That did not stop Anderson. She just kept singing and following her dream.
Anderson had been denied the right to sing in Washington's Constitution Hall because she was a person of color. The oldest of three girls, she was a happy child, especially when singing in the choir at the Union Baptist Church. From the beginning, adults noticed her naturally beautiful, powerful voice.
In 1925, Marian won a voice contest in New York and sang with the New York Philharmonic. Still, her chances to perform were limited. She traveled to Europe in 1928, where she became successful. As Marian's career progressed, America changed. She performed in many prestigious locations, including Constitution Hall, where she sang after the D.A.R changed its policies.
In 1936, Eleanor Roosevelt invited Anderson to sing at the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and herself. In 1935, the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini heard Anderson sing in Salzburg. “A voice like yours is heard once in hundreds of years,” he said.
By 1939, Marian was a world class singer. She returned to the United States to continue her career. Marian believed strongly in civil rights movements. With Mrs. Roosevelt's support, the Secretary of the Interior arranged a special concert for her. Marian's concert was considered to be America's first civil rights rally. Seventy-five thousand people attended.
As Marian's career progressed, America changed. By 1954, segregation was declared unconstitutional. The Civil Rights Act was signed into law in 1964, the year Marian retired from performing. By then, many of the barriers she had to fight through were disappearing. Marian's farewell tour began in the front of an admiring crowd at the Constitution Hall.
Marian died after living a wonderful and adventurous life in 1993 at the age of 96. It was a sad day, but Marian Anderson will always be remembered.
- Elizabeth Sherman
Seward Elementary School