Marian and Eleanor

A few months ago I wrote about Brandon's winning several levels of award for the writing of an essay sponsored by the Daughter's of the American Revolution. He wrote about the civil rights set within the idea of the Gettysburg Address and wove together the time periods of American Revolution, the Civil War and the Inauguration of our countries first black president. It was a great experience for the boy and one I am sure it will change his perception of history and his future forever.

Today I discovered an interesting side note to that story. In 1939, Marian Anderson, a black opera singer, was refused the opportunity to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington DC because of the color of her skin. Eleanor Roosevelt and her influential husband saw the injustice of this act and gave her a new venue, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where she sang for a gathering of over 70,000 people.

The organization that banned Marian Anderson from singing in their building? The Daughters of the American Revolution.

Eleanor Roosevelt, a member of the DAR, promptly resigned from the organization. As I said in my essay back last spring, something didn't feel right during that meeting when Brandon received his recognition. Maybe those hunches had some validity and maybe Brandon should have included this story in his essay.