marian anderson has a voice that you only hear once in your life. Eleanor Roosevelt has an amazing connection with a terrible town, Eleanor Roosevelt, and a Soviet sniper, 42-year-old < P >. The contralto opera singer's performance is widely praised throughout the United States and Europe. She also happens to be black. In 1939, Howard University asked her to perform in the Constitution Hall on Easter Sunday. The Constitution Hall was the largest auditorium in Washington, D.C. at that time, and it was a venue owned by the daughters of the American Revolution, and refused to approve.

The news of Anderson's treatment made headlines and attracted the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt, a member of the organization and the first lady.

"She saw an opportunity to resign and make a statement," said Nancy Volokh, a professor at Barnard College and Columbia University, Eleanor Roosevelt, who recorded the debate in her new book the first lady's Collections. In her words,

combing columns, books, press conferences, lectures, speeches, radio speeches and letters, Volokh presents a complex picture of Roosevelt as a sharp figure and a defender of democratic ideals. As a journalist, lecturer, broadcaster and writer, Roosevelt was determined to openly oppose social mistakes. The most telling example is a series of famous events with Anderson.

Roosevelt met the opera singer for the first time while performing at the White House in 1935, but after this argument, she didn't want to stand by. She worked behind the scenes, won Anderson a place to perform at the White House again, and agreed to give her a famous medal at an activity of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). But when DAR continued to dig deep into its details, she decided to make a public statement.

On February 27th, 1939, she cautiously announced her withdrawal from DAR in the column "My Days". In her column, she wrote that this six-day-a-week platform has been running for more than 3 years, giving "ER" a regular opportunity to contact with the American public and test the current political waters. < P > "I belong to an organization that can't do any positive work." "They took an action widely talked about in the press. As a member, this means agreeing to this action, so I will resign.

She held a press conference after the announcement. Shortly after her husband Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office, ER took the lead in holding the first White House press conference for female journalists. In 12 years, she held 348 of them, where she could convey her message in her own way.

ER's decision is an explosive one for a racially divided America. After that, she organized an outdoor concert for Anderson in the shadow of Lincoln Memorial. At this historic concert, 75, spectators flocked to know that the White House supported her. Anderson's first song was a powerful and pungent "My Country, You" by marian anderson, composed by yousuf karsh (Smithsonian Institution National Portrait Gallery; A gift from the Smithsonian Institution to Estella Cash in memory of yousuf karsh)

"An excellent public relations victory." The marian anderson incident represents Eleanor Roosevelt's commitment to civil rights, which is an unexpected, influential, lasting and deepening loyalty, "Volokh wrote.

This move also deeply reflects the characteristics of the first lady. Roosevelt was born nearly 4 years before American women won the right to vote. She experienced many great struggles in the 2th century and felt that she had the ability to shape the process of progress. In her life, she played an important role in the civil rights movement, women's movement and labor reform movement, and lived long enough to lead the status Committee of President Kennedy before her death in 1962.

Now, 133 years after her birth, Woloch talks with the Smithsonian. About why ER's legacy is still unparalleled. Eleanor Roosevelt: In her words: about women, politics, leadership and lessons in life "KDSP" Eleanor Roosevelt: In her words, she started in the 192s, when she entered the press and public life; During the White House years, when she was a racial justice movement, the labor movement and the "forgotten woman"; After the war, when she worked in the United Nations and shaped the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Eleanor Roosevelt was a prolific writer and journalist herself. What did you notice when you began to examine her work carefully? "

it's all about her. After decades, I found her news tone very clear, amazing and direct. She started writing articles on civil rights as early as the 193s. I am deepening her work, and some people condemn "America first". Everything about Eleanor seems unusual today. She condemned the uncompromising attitude of Soviet diplomats to the United Nations, which is almost like something you can tear off from the headlines. The Soviets have gone, but the uncompromising attitude still exists. So, in her own way, she speaks directly to the present.

In some very charming occasions, writing is a bit out of date; Especially early in her career, she wrote for a women's magazine, but she was very charming. Her evaluation of "Ten Steps to Marriage" is very attractive.

it's actually measured. I mean, this is a productive reporter. She has been writing: a column, six days a week, a monthly magazine, I mean she won't stop. So the essence of this phenomenon is that she is a person who has been doing news and writing news at the same time. I can't think of anyone who would do these things. She has been interviewed by other journalists and worked as a journalist herself. She has a dual existence.

Was she rejected by Roosevelt or the White House because of what she wrote in the media? Yes. She kept pressing Roosevelt on the issue of fighting for civil rights for African-Americans, which was a personal problem. She walked into his office and told him what to do, but he just didn't do it. I believe some of her suggestions are very popular, because they have reached a real agreement on the basic policies on labor issues, relief policies, and the like, but she has been hindered on the issue of civil rights. Once, in her memoirs or later articles, I forgot where it was, and she noticed that he used her to some extent. She said, "I think he used me." Then she said, "But I also used him."

By the way, you mentioned how transactional their marriage became after he had an affair with his social secretary. This seems to be a real turning point for her.

This incident seems to be the beginning of her public life. At that time, that is, when he was ill. He got polio a few years after the extramarital affair, so this combination seems to have pushed her into public life, and since then they have had a political partnership. Sometimes it's far away I think during the war years, from 41 to 45, they called each other and wrote to each other. The cooperation is still going on, but it is a bit far away. After Roosevelt died in 45 years, she began to publish various articles and radio speeches for him, and so on, which were very interesting. This really opened up the whole field of civil rights, you know? Should we go there? "

Yes, let's talk about her civil rights record.

is probably the most original thing she did in the public policy. I was really surprised. She is the first White House resident to support civil rights since Lincoln? This is a very, very high-risk operation, which she did as soon as she entered the White House. [Executive Secretary of NAACP] walter white approached her, approached her, approached her. He is Janet, which must be very shocking for her political opponents. I can almost understand, not completely understand, but I can almost understand why the * * * and party women in the 194 election wore these buttons, which read "We don't want Eleanor either". People are hostile to everything she does, and I insist that all this is her great achievement. Her efforts to change everything in the White House were not without criticism, but they were immortal.

What do you think we can learn from Eleanor Roosevelt in 217?

At the end of her life, she wrote how individuals must change with the times.

"Readjustment is a private revolution. Every time you learn something new, you must readjust the whole framework of your knowledge. In my opinion, a person is forced to make internal and external adjustments all his life.

This process will never end [Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in her book "You Learn from Life" published in 196]. I think her last suggestion is really related to personal consciousness and the need for the ability to adapt to changes and actively respond to changing society. This is the last work I chose for this book-the requirement for readers' flexibility, which advances with the changes of society, not resists. Eleanor Roosevelt's hands are rarely still, and the artist yousuf karsh captured their expressive force in this portrait. (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; A gift from Estella Cash in memory of yousuf karsh)