Due to the fact, that Marian Anderson was African American, the Daughters of the American Revolution, refused to allow Marian the Constitution Hall's rental. This case is just one of many cases of racial prejudice in the USA. The then first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt and President Roosevelt helped Marian so that she would sing in an open air concert on April 1939. Adding to the conflict, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was pressuring Marian into not singing in Roosevelt orchestrated concert. The political and social conflict around Marian's performance was unprecedented for a classical musician. Nevertheless, she was able to perform in Washington DC for a large crowd.
