Marian Anderson had a brilliant singing career which began a the age of six when she leamed spirituals' at the Union Baptis Church in her hometown of Philadelphia. Her tour of Europe in the 1920s drew vast acclaim; however, when .she returned to the United States she was still barred from performing on the American operatic stage. After she was prevented from singing in Washington's segregated Constitution Hall in 1939 Eleanor Roosevelt intervened and arranged for her to perform at the Lincoln Memorial. A crowd of 75, 000 people came to watch her sing before the Memorial. Her beautiful contralto voice was breaking down racial barriers, showing Americans that black had a profound contribution to make to Americans cultural life. Eventually, she became the first African-American singer to perform at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1955. In her many years of touring she had to endure a racism that forced her to enter concert halls and hotels through service entrances. Her grace under this stress showed a moral perseverance that paralleled that of the famous Martin Luther King, Junior.