Kilcoy Seventh-day Adventist Church
Kilcoy Seventh-day Adventist Church
Prejudice
Signs of the Times - http://signsmag.adventistconnect.org/news_entries
Prejudice
Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother Annie had worked as a school teacher before in another state. However, because she was in Philadelphia without a full teaching degree and, more importantly, being African-American, she was not able to teach. Annie therefore earned an income by caring for children. Marian’s father, John, sold coal and ice, eventually opening a small liquor business despite not being a drinker himself.
The family was very active in the local Union Baptist Church. Mary, Marian’s aunt, noticed her niece’s vocal talent and encouraged her to join the church choir at the age of six. Marian performed solos and duets at church, and also at the YMCA and other community music events where she would wow the audience.
At the age of 12, Marian’s father died from an accident at work, so the family moved in with John’s parents. Despite being unable to afford to attend high school or receive vocal lessons, Marian continued to perform and to learn from anyone she could. Eventually, the directors of the People’s Chorus, the pastor and other leaders came together to generate funds for Marian’s high school education and music tuition. Upon graduating from high school, Marian applied to the Philadelphia Music Academy but was rejected because she was black. And to emphasise the point, Admissions declared, “We don’t take coloureds.”
In 1925, Marian gained some publicity when she won a singing competition in New York. As a result, she performed a number of times with the Philharmonic orchestra. However racial prejudice continued to plague her. She decided to move to Europe, where she received further tuition until 1934 when Sol Hurok became her manager and encouraged her to return to America. By the late 1930s, Marian was giving 70 recitals a year. Despite her growing public following, she was still denied access to hotels and some restaurants because she was black.
In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused to grant Marian permission to sing to both black and white patrons. Washington was a segregated city at that time and the DAR had a policy of refusing black artists and forcing black Americans to sit at the back of the hall. As a result of the outrage created by this rejection, many members of the DAR resigned, including then First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. With the support of the Roosevelts, Walter White and Sol Hurok, an open air concert was arranged on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Performed on Easter Sunday, the event attracted more than 75,000 people of all shades. Many millions more listened to the concert live on radio.
Marian Anderson was born into a world of bigotry and hate. She endured prejudice simply because of the colour of her skin. Many people closed their ears to her gifted voice and rejected the blessing they might have received if it weren’t for their racist bias.
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