"The Century's Contralto" Marian Anderson, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A variety of sources suggested February 17, 1902 as her birth date, however Anderson's birth certificate showed differently. On her birth certificate the date listed was February 27, 1897. She was born into a working class family in South Philadelphia. Her family had a few obstacles to overcome, but managed.

Her father John worked selling ice and coal at the Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia. Her mother Anna was a former teacher. Marian had two younger sisters, Alice and Ethel. Anderson's early schooling was completed at the Stanton Elementary School located at 17th and Christian Streets near her home. Her music career began at the age of six by singing in the choir of Philadelphia's Union Baptist Church. Sh

In 1942, Marian Anderson established the Marian Anderson Award for talented young singers. Among the recipients were Camilla Williams, Mattiwilda Dobbs, and Grace Bumbry. Soon after forming the award she was married to Orpheus H. Fisher, who was a young architect in 1943. On January 7th, 1955 Anderson sang the part of Ulrica in Verdi's "UnBallo in Maschera" at the Metropolitan Opera House, and continued to do so for two seasons.

In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused Marian the use of Constitutional Hall in Washington D.C. They focused public attention on racism. At that time, Eleanor Roosevelt was a member of the DAR. Eleanor protested on Anderson's behalf by resigning from DAR. The United States Government then placed the Lincoln Memorial at her disposal for an Easter morning concert. This concert drew over 75,000 people.

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