| Marian Anderson made a difference for Black Americans because she
was such a great singer that her audience didn't care that she was
colored. She couldn't go to music school because she was black. Her
church raised some money to carry on her dream to sing for all people.
She won a singing contest but she couldn't sing anywhere else because
she was black.
When Marian sang in Europe the conductor Arturo Toscanini said, "She
had a voice heard once in a hundred years. "When she sang in concert
halls, the seats filled up quickly, even though the hotels and
restaurants wouldn't let her stay. She toured sixty cities and often
met the laws that separated blacks from whites. She was not allowed to
sing in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., so she sang in front of
the Lincoln Monument in front of crowds of people.
She became famous and sang in the biggest opera company, called the
Metropolitan Opera, in New York City. She was the first Black American
singer invited to sing with this company. Now other Black Americans can
sing there and follow after Marian Anderson.
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| Amanda and Laura |
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