Date: Thursday, April 4th, 2013, 12:30pm Place: Hillwood Commons Lecture Hall Speaker: Marc Courtade newyorker.com Marian Anderson was one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. She became an important figure in the struggle for black artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States during the mid-twentieth century. In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution refused permission for Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. Instead, with the aid of Eleanor Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939. She sang before a crowd of more than 75,000 people and a radio audience in the millions. In 1955, Anderson broke the color barrier by becoming the first African-American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera. In 1958 she was officially designated delegate to the United Nations, a formalization of her role as "goodwill ambassador" of the U.S., and in 1972 she was awarded the UN Peace Prize. Anderson may have been a reluctant participant in the civil rights movement, but greatness was thrust upon her. A generation of African-American singers is indebted to her for blazing the trail towards equality. About the Speaker... Marc Courtade is Business Manager for Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at Long Island University, and Producer and Artistic Director of Performance Plus!, a pre-performance lecture series. He is a frequent lecturer for the Hutton House Lectures, specializing in Musicals and Opera courses, and Adjunct Professor in the Arts Management curriculum. An avid performer, Marc has appeared in numerous productions throughout Long Island. Please note: This event is free and open to the public. The event is sponsored by the LIU Post library and partners and is made possible through the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities Long Island University-Post Campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville, NY 11548 or Prof. Manju Prasad Rao 516-299-2868 Image Credit: Hulton Archive/Archive Photos/Getty Images/Universal Images Group.