The LIT History Series is for the Legends, Innovators and Trailblazers that have shaped our culture. I love history, and in turn, I love black history. So much of our culture has been defined by those who’ve come before us, so I write this to capture and chronicle our narratives.
Black history should be celebrated for more than just one month out of the year.
The Treasury Department announced its plans to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, and we all spontaneously combusted. At the same time, department also announced changes to $5 and $10 bills. The reverse side of the $5 bill will feature MLK, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and opera singer Marian Anderson.
Known as one of the finest contraltos of her time, Marian Anderson broke down barriers for black performers. She was the first black performer to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera and the first black performer to perform at the White House.
Anderson spent most of her contralto singing career performing in recitals and concerts throughout the U.S. and Europe between 1925 and 1965.
In 1939, Howard University invited Anderson to sing in Washington as part of its concert series, choosing Constitution Hall as the perfect place. The Daughters of the Revolution (DAR) owned the segregated Constitution Hall and refused permission for Anderson to perform. The incident sparked controversy on an international scale and public outrage shortly followed.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR in protest and Anderson instead performed in front of the Lincoln Memorial to a desegregated group of 75,000 people.
Hmph.
A few months later, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt invited Marian Anderson to sing at a gala they hosted for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England. She then continued to perform in various concerts and recitals throughout the years.
In 1961, she sang at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration ceremony.
Marian Anderson retired from singing in 1965, but continued to make public appearances and received several awards and honors. She earned the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal, the United Nations Peace Price, the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement and much more. She was honored with a commemorative U.S. postage stamp in 2005, and now she’ll be honored on the back of U.S. currency.
Listen. Marian Anderson is a true trailblazer. Her stint with the DAR caused so much of a stir that they eventually issued an apology and invited her to sing at Constitution Hall less than 5 years later. This woman made waves for Black artists both male and female alike and remained humble her entire life. It’ll be a few years before the new currency is printed. Just know that when you pick up the new $5 bill and see that Black woman on it, you’ll remember Marian Anderson and path she paved for the culture.
Make sure you tell a friend too.
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