The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russel Freedman

Genre: Nonfiction
Theme: Civil Rights, Racial Oppression
Grade Level: 6-8
Curricular Connections: History (Southern Segregation in the early 1900's, NAACP, Civil Rights Activists, Eleanor Roosevelt, DAR, Billy King), Music (African American Spirituals, European Music)

Marian Anderson, born in 1897, grew up in a poor racially mixed nighborhood not realizing she was different from white children until she grew older and found that prejudice often kept races apart. At an early age she found her love for music and was extremely active in her Baptist Church's choir. As Marian grew older, she performed local concerts for little money, but those around her realized her extreme singing talent and future potential. Her church took up several collections to put Marian through high school and provided her with voice lessons. When Marian graduated from high school, she was able to tour the United States and make a career out of her singing talent. Marian grew frustrated as she traveled to the south and had to deal with the Jim Crow laws segrating races and keeping her out of hotels and restaurants. She decided to tour in Europe to escape racial discrimination she often encountered in the United States, and while she was there could work on improving her dialect in singing foreign songs. While she was there she became wildly popular singing for royalty in some of the grandest concert halls in the world. After several years abroad, she returned home and her career continued to prosper as she toured the United States, but was discouraged as she was not able to perform in Constitution Hall in her own countries capital because she was black. Eleanor Roosevelt and other advocates of racial justice teamed up to protest this decision of the DAR and planned an outdoor concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for Marian to perform. Although Marian was not comfortable with controversy and never considered herself a civil rights activist, she decided as she walked out in front of the crowd of 7,500 people that this wasn't her fight, but that this was something she must do for her people. Marian continued her sining career while beginning her fight for racial justice. During WWII she was invited to sing at Constitution Hall by the DAR to raise funds for the war relief. Although Marian still felt the sting of racial discrimination later in her life, she continued to break barriers and help free her country of ignorance for future generations.

Classroom Suggestions:

1. Students can research racial segregation in the south from 1900 to 1960's. Have them report on Jim Crow laws and ask them to consider how they would have felt if they were made to obey such laws. Have them discuss whether there are unwritten laws like these that still may exist today. Does affirmative action help with these injustices or create other problems?

2. Have students choose an advocate of racial justice mentioned in the book such as Martin Luther King Jr., Harold Ickes, Walter White or Eleanor Roosevelt and ask them to research and write a short paper on their efforts for civil rights.

3. Have students research African American spirituals. Why and how did they originate? Are there still any of these songs we sing today?

4. Download some of Marian Anderson's recorded songs so students can hear the voice that millions of people loved and admired.