Today in History - 1939

Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution in support of African American opera contralto Marian Anderson. Anderson sang at Europe's most famous concert halls in the 1930s and met great success, but when she returned to the United States she encountered racism, discrimination, and segregation.

In January 1939, Ms. Anderson wanted to give a performance at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., but was told by the manager that she could not use the hall because of a prior engagement. After her request for alternate performance dates was also refused, the reason for Ms. Anderson's dismissal was clear. Marian Anderson could not sing at Constitution Hall because the Hall's owners - the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) - had a policy to not allow African American performers on the stage.

Thanks to the support of the Roosevelt administration, Ms. Anderson gave a concert on April 9, 1939, Easter Day, at the base of the Lincoln Memorial and the concert was broadcast across the country.