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Thank you. It's April 9, 1939, near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

42-year-old opera singer Marion Anderson sits in the back of a limousine as its driver slowly weaves through a huge crowd. The more Marion stares out the window, the more disbelieving she becomes.

There are tens of thousands of people out there, and they've all gathered on this gray and chilly

day to hear Marion sing. Performing in front of large crowds is nothing new for Marion. She's sung all over

Europe, alongside some of the world's most esteemed orchestras. But back home in America,

things are more complicated. Marion is black, and racist segregation laws bar black people from

performing in many venues across the South. Recently, Marion was blocked from holding a concert at Constitution Hall, the largest auditorium

in Washington, D.C., a decision that not only angered Marion, but also many prominent figures in the nation's capital.

Today's outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial is their public way of defying these divisive segregation laws.

The crowd erupts when they spot Marion exiting the limousy. Her thick fur coat wrapped around her to

keep out the cold. Reporters snap photographs as Marion makes her way toward the memorial, flanked by

security guards. Marion smiles as her fans cheer, and she can't help scanning

the crowd for the Ku Klark's plan members who threaten her life on more than one occasion.

Marion reaches the memorial unharmed, though, and then steps onto the stage that's been built in

front of the statue of Abraham Lincoln. Marion stands to the side as she's introduced to the crowd by politician

Harold Icky's, but she can't make out his words. She only realizes it's time to begin when

Harold turns to her with a smile and the crowd quiets in anticipation. Marion steps forward

and tests the microphone with her finger. Then she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath,

...