In the early part of the twentieth century, racism (种族歧视) was widespread in the United States. Many African Americans were not given equal opportunities in education or employment. Marian Anderson (18971993) was an African American woman who gained fame as a concert singer in this climate of racism. She was born in Philadelphia and sang in church choirs during her childhood. When she asked for admission to a local music school in 1917, she was refused because she was black. Unable to attend music school, she began her career as a singer for religious activities. In 1929, she went to Europe to study voice and spent several years performing there. Her voice was widely praised throughout Europe. Then she returned to the US in 1935 and became a top concert singer after performing at Town Hall in New York City.
Racism again affected Anderson in 1939. When it was arranged to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington D. C. , the Daughters of the American Revolution opposed (反对) it because of her color. She sang instead at the Lincoln Memorial for over 75,000 people. In 1955, Anderson became the first black soloist (独唱) to sing in the Metropolitan Opera of New York City. The famous conductor Toscanini praised her voice as "heard only once in a hundred years". She was a US delegate (代表) to the United Nations in 1958 and won the UN peace prize in 1977. Anderson eventually triumphed over racism.
