Marian Anderson

Sophie S. & Sydney I., 4th Grade - Mrs. Hart

Early Life/Family Information

Born on February 27, 1897 Lived in South Philadelphia Member of Junior Choir in church since age 6 Aunt Mary brought her to community events to sing Marian grew close to her grandfather; they spent a lot of

time together Marian’s father died because of heart failure in 1909 at age

34 Because of her fathers death, her mother had to get a job at

the tobacco factory As Marian grew older her mother sent her daughters to find

work Marian admired her grandfather because he took a stand for

things that were important to him Marian lived with her parents and two sisters

Education Completed 8th grade at Stanton

Elementary Went to high school at William Penn

High School Graduated from the South Philadelphia

High School Marian didn’t have the documents or

qualifications showing a person has a certain skill or knowledge required to teach in Philadelphia schools

Problems and Obstacles Marian started singing when she wasn’t

fully ready Marian forgot some German words at a

concert that she sang in Germany It wasn’t easy for Marian Anderson to

acquire a musical education Marian’s family was poor She couldn’t sing at certain places

because of her skin color

Accomplishments Marian was a singer and opera singer In 1955 she became the first black singer to

appear with the Metropolitan Opera At her homecoming concert in New York City in

1935, she received thunderous applause In 1939 she was prevented from giving a concert

at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. and many people felt that her race was the reason

Undaunted, on Easter Sunday of that same year, she gave a free concert for an audience of 75,000 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963

Interesting Facts She loved to sing all kinds of songs This little girl eventually became one of

the greatest singers of her time The great composer Jean Sibelius

dedicated a song to Marian when she visited n Finland

She toured all over the world

Interests and Hobbies

Marian started singing when she was 6 and loved it

Bibliography

Anderson, Marian (1897–1993)." Reviewed by Florence Jackson. The New Book of Knowledge. Grolier Online, 2013. Web. 15 Mar.2013.Freeman, Russell The Voice That Challenged A Nation: Marian

Anderson and the Struggle For Equal Rights. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.Print.

Jones, Victoria G. Marian Anderson. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. , 2008. Print.