marian anderson, one of the most important opera singers in history took to the stage and began to singng by howard university as part of its concert series, but the university needed to find a venue large enough and constitution hall was the place. however, the daughters of the american revolution, who owned the hall refused to let her use it because as one anderson biographer notes she was black, and there was a white artist only clause. first lady member of the promptly quit the. the lincoln memorial was suggested as an alternate venue, and the rest was hess. anderson's story is captured in a new documentary titled "once in 100 years: the life and legacy of marian anderson." it traces her life and struggles against racism, poverty and her quest for equality. >> a true american trail blazer. >>> we're mourning the death of three marines killed by a roadside bomb in afghanistan. christopher slutman and were conducting operations along with benjamin hines. they were killed after a suicide bomber drove into their convoy. sergeant slutman had been a 15-year member o department. >> that's

rolealso lauded lincoln's in striking the chains of slavery from marian anderson's ancestors. thisnk the timing of concert is particularly important. it is april, 1939. it is a moment of growing awareness of nazi is a -- not -- nazism abroad. singersmparing jewish i stageanned from a naz and anderson being shunned from the dar hall, one person pointed out the crucial difference between hitler's germany and roosevelt america. in washington, we have a shrine for abraham lincoln. in this more explicit acknowledgment of lincoln's role as an emancipated, including his work in freeing those of an oppressed race. take a new poised to role as the 1940's begin. he appeared with increasing frequency in hollywood movies and broadway plays. he figured as the central 1941ct in aaron copland's lincoln portrait, celebrating american spirit in the aftermath of pearl harbor. he featured greater prominence in fdr's speeches. not surprising because roosevelt hired lincoln dramatist robert sherwood as a speechwriter. it was the civil war, not the revolution that was used most often in world war i

when marian anderson was not allowed to sing in the dar building in washington, eleanor helped organize a memorable easterday concert, in the lincoln memorial, they thought a few thousand people might come in the rain, 50,000 people came, and, marian anderson send my country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, from the steps of the lincoln memorial, changing the iconography of that place forever and permanently. so did frank capra, in 1939, mister smith goes to washington, one of the first things mister smith seizes the lincoln memorial. and, a man of color, with tears streaming down his face reads the final words of the gettysburg address inscribed there. young mister lincoln, which is about new salem ends with the words of the music of the battle hymn and the lincoln memorial. it is now the icon of all icons. but, not yet the apogee which comes in 1963. as the epicenter of the march on washington, where the leaders of the civil rights movement white and black gather at the memorial, for these ceremonies, for that august day. by the way, you see doctor king's second from the right, on

when the african-american singer marian anderson was banned from performing in the daughters of the american revolution concert hall here in washington many figures in the fdr administration including eleanor roosevelt helped to arrange a new open air concert in front of the lincoln memorial. in refuting the narrow racial prejudice of the dar they also allotted lincoln's role as interior secretary explained in striking the chains of slavery from marion ancestors. i think the timing of this concert is important. it is april 1939 and it is a moment of growing awareness, threats and atrocities and by this time roosevelt and his associates also understood violence was increasingly directed in the service of abhorrent racial agenda. after comparing jewish singers being banned from a stage and anderson being shunned from the dar hall the assistant interior secretary oscar chapman pointed out the crucial difference between hitler's germany and roosevelts america. in washington chapman observed we have a shrine for abraham lincoln. when this more explicit acknowledgment of lincoln's role as emancipa