Day 23 of 110: Marian Anderson and the DAR

A couple of summers ago I was in D.C. and decided to do one of those touristy bus tours of the Washington Monuments. It seemed harmless enough....until we arrived at the FDR memorial. There, the tour guide spoke in front of the statue of Eleanor Roosevelt. He talked about her causes and impact as First Lady. Most would certainly agree she was a very influential woman and many still see her as a role model today.

But then he went on to talk about Eleanor Roosevelt, Marian Anderson, and the DAR. He talked about how Eleanor was an advocate for Civil Rights and when Marian Anderson was in 1939 Anderson was denied an opportunity to perform at the DAR's Constitution Hall. The tour guide continued his story noting that the First Lady proceeded to resign her membership with the DAR and invited Anderson to perform her Easter concert at the Lincoln Memorial. And that was the end of his story. But that wasn't really the end of the story.



Marian Anderson's concert became an important part of the Civil Rights Movement, and soon afterwards, DAR joined the movement and changed its policy. Anderson was welcomed by the DAR to perform at Constitution Hall not long after the Lincoln Memorial Easter Concert. Anderson also selected Constitution Hall for the site to kick-off her farewell tour. In later years, her family would return to Constitution Hall to unveil a U.S. Postage stamp in her honor.



Marian Anderson and the DAR had a rocky beginning, but together showed how reform can create beautiful music and lasting friendships - all in a place memorializing the U.S. Constitution called Memorial Constitution Hall.