Tue. Feb. 8 at 9 p.m. on WKAR-HD 23.1 & STREAMING | Explore the life and legacy of the famous singer who became an icon for the civil rights movement.
Best known for her performance at the legendary Freedom Concert on April 9, 1939, Marian Anderson, in a bold protest against racial intolerance, sang before a diverse crowd on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after being denied use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
In that moment, Anderson—despite being a fiercely private person—transformed into a symbol for the nascent civil rights movement, even inspiring a 10-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr., who listened on the radio.
With unprecedented access to the Marian Anderson Estate, the documentary will draw on rare archival footage and audio recordings and Anderson’s extensive personal correspondence to family and friends, including Martin Luther King, Jr., W.E.B. DuBois, Duke Ellington, Shirley Chisholm and Langston Hughes, to reveal the woman behind the icon.
Watch this episode at video.wkar.org during or after the premiere date.
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Now in its 36th season on PBS, American Masters illuminates the lives and creative journeys of our nation’s most enduring artistic giants: those who have left an indelible impression on our cultural landscape.