Marian Anderson's Path To Racial Equality

Racial equality was expressed by brave and courageous individuals that believed that the ability to become an equal member of society did not count on the color of one’s skin, but the ability to have determination and surviving in the community. One of those individuals started in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; a city with a great deal of communities and organizations that had a collection of conflicts with segregation. Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897. She lived with her mother, her father before he died, and her two younger sisters. Anderson came from a poor background, and although she did not have the luxuries and benefits of other privileged children, she was not unhappy with her life style. She had a loving family that
did not express their struggles, they always appreciated the little things that came out of every day which made each other smile.

Anderson’s life was centered on all types of music. At the age of six, she attended Sunday school which she was very passionate about because of her love of music. Her mother stressed the ability to make to value time in her children’s lessons to become more familiarized and confidential with knowing the work. At the age of eight, her father bought a piano for entertainment and enjoyment for the family. She was instantly excited to study the functions of this instrument. She and her father learned many songs due to their self-perseverance learning basic notes. She even saved up money from her job of cleaning steps to buy a violin. Although there was not much money to pay for a music tutor, that didn’t stop her from teaching herself.

By the time she reached high school, she was sure that music was going to be her passion to becoming a success. She entered contests in hopes to achieve a higher position in a singing career. In a particular contest held by a well-known orchestra, the Phil-harmonic Society, she became to first African American to take first prize. Her biggest breakthrough was competing in another Phil-harmonic sponsored singing competition in New York. She won first prize and was invited to tour around Europe to exceed fame in her singing career. She wasn’t well-known among America, however she was invited to the White House to sing for U.S. President Roosevelt. Therefore, she became the first African American to sing at the White House. She began to break the limitations that society placed upon other African American musicians. For example, she also became the first African American to become a part of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Although Anderson’s action created positive outlooks for other African Americans, most people were not fond of the idea that a person of color can achieve such a high standard in their career.
Like other African American successors, she experienced her share of racial discrimination. Some places that allowed musicians to perform, denied her the privilege to perform because she was a person of color. However, not everyone ignored the accomplishments that she has had or the effect that she has on people and society. She was invited to sing at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. After her retirement in 1965, she was also given a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievements. She moved to Portland, Oregon where she spent the rest of her days until her death at the age of 96 on April 8, 1993.

Marian Anderson was a remarkable and admirable women during her time. She was able to become a success despite her poor background and the discrimination of race. Being a women and an African American overcoming all obstacles takes more effort and persistence in order to accomplish something. A woman has less advantages than a male, which makes her even more inferior and admirable to a lot of people. Overall, Marian Anderson was a great inspiration and role model towards the black
community.