Welcome to Hidden Civil Rights History, which explores often overlooked history in the Washington, D.C. region. My name is Gregg Ivers, and I am a Professor of Government at American University.
In the late winter of 1939, Howard University invited world renown contralto opera singer Marian Anderson to perform on campus. Demand for tickets was so great that the university could not accommodate her on campus.The Daughters of the American Revolution, which owned Constitution Hall, D.C.'s largest concert venue, rejected Ms. Anderson's application to perform there. Since 1932, just three years after Constitution Hall opened, the DAR maintained a strict whites-only policy in its performance contracts. What happened next resulted in one of the great early victories over Jim Crow in the nation's capital.
This video is for education purposes only. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Please subscribe:
/ @hiddencivilrightshist...
See my other channels:
/ @julianbondoralhistory...
Website: www.julianbondoralhistoryproj...