Remembering a Great American Hero Marian Anderson

This is a factual timeline compiled from many sources, a chronological commentary, with primary focus on significant events during and about the life of Marian E. Anderson (1897–1993).

In the fall of 2018, the author had planned to attend the Marian Anderson Awards event that has been held annually at the Kimmel Center in his hometown of Philadelphia for the last twenty years. Unfortunately, shortly before that year’s event, it was cancelled. Henwood further describes his Marian Anderson journey:

In my youth, I remembered hearing the name “Marian Anderson” but really knew little more than that she was a singer whom my parents and especially my paternal grandparents were very fond of. I decided to do a quick search for her on the internet. To my amazement, I got dozens of hits and started drilling down. I found it awfully hard to believe that one person could have accomplished everything I found.

I discovered there is a National Marian Anderson Historical Society, which is headquartered in the Anderson family’s home, which is now an official historic residence museum—and the price of admission was only ten dollars with a personal tour guide! In March 2019, during my first visit, I was blown away by what I saw and learned about Marian Anderson

This private Anderson family home-based museum is a repository of the largest collection of Marian Anderson’s personal belongings and memorabilia, as well as the epicenter for authentic historical information about her life and legacy. The museum offers close-up inspection of hundreds of artifacts: Marian’s beautiful performance gowns, clothing, accessories, tens of thousands of photographs, videos, recordings, jewelry, private pictures, and personal items, complete with lectures and guided tours (by appointment only). Visitors can discover how each artifact is connected to her life’s story — over the span of a century —as a Philadelphian, as an artist and as an icon.

It took me a few more visits to begin to absorb what is there. In retrospect, this was just the tip of the iceberg. After each visit, I left with mixed feelings of awe, newfound respect, and embarrassment. How could I, having lived in Philadelphia for so long—not far from the very home Marian Anderson purchased in 1924, now a museum, in a neighborhood I went through frequently—have absolutely no idea that I was passing in the vicinity of such greatness? After reading Marian Anderson’s autobiography, my hunger to know more led me to discover more than twenty other biographies, from excellent books for schoolchildren to several well-researched works by distinguished scholars. It is from the latter academic group that I have primarily drawn to compile and condense the information presented in this book.

READ MORE ORDER A COPY NOW