Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial

Philadelphia-born and classically trained, Marian Anderson often included African American spirituals in her recitals of arias and other art songs. Before Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his mesmerizing “I Have a Dream” speech to the participants in the 1963 March on Washington, Marian Anderson enveloped the crowd in her rich contralto voice on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Video Courtesy: Archive Films