Marian Anderson, who has been called "the voice of the American soul," was born in Philadelphia in 1902. She was denied entrance to music school because she belonged to the "colored" race. Thus, she began to perform for small, segregated audiences, gradually rising from the obscurity to fame; by 1935 she was hailed as one of the century's greatest singers. In 1955, she became the first black singer to perform with the Metropolitan Opera. Marian's story is a triumphant saga of challenges met and overcome.

This is part of Chelsea House Publishers' American Women of Achievement series. This ebook contains the complete text from the print version.