After being barred from Constitution Hall, contralto Marian Anderson performs for 75,000 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
At a Glance
- Date
- 9 April 1939
- Location
- Washington, D.C.
- Key people
- Marian Anderson, Eleanor Roosevelt
- Category
- Music
- Source
- Contemporary press; NPS records (1939) · National Park Service
What It Meant Then
Her Easter Sunday concert became a defining rebuke of segregation.
What It Means Now
The performance is remembered as a milestone of dignity and protest through art.
Also on 9 April
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Marian Anderson Sings at the Lincoln Memorial.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/marian-anderson-sings-at-the-lincoln-memorial/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Marian Anderson Sings at the Lincoln Memorial. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/marian-anderson-sings-at-the-lincoln-memorial/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Marian Anderson Sings at the Lincoln Memorial.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/marian-anderson-sings-at-the-lincoln-memorial/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.