Voice of Freedom

Overview

On Easter Sunday, 1939, contralto Marian Anderson stepped up to a microphone in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Inscribed on the walls of the monument behind her were the words “all men are created equal.” Barred from performing in Constitution Hall because of her race, Anderson would sing for the American people in the open air. Hailed as a voice that “comes around once in a hundred years” by maestros in Europe and widely celebrated by both white and black audiences at home, her fame hadn’t been enough to spare her from the indignities and outright violence of racism and segregation.

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Keywords

Trailer

Cast

Marian Anderson

Self (archive footage)

Renée Elise Goldsberry

Narrator (voice)

Allida M. Black

herself

Angela Brown

herself

Lucy Caplan

herself

Alisha Lola Jones

herself

Adriane Lentz-Smith

herself

Carol Oja

herself

Jillian Patricia Pirtle

herself

Sharon Vriend Robinette

herself