Sweet Land of Liberty Deborah Hopkinson (Author), Leonard Jenkins (Illustrator) On Easter Sunday in 1939, singer Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial for over 75,000 people. The person largely responsible for putting her there was a white man, Oscar Chapman, assistant secretary of the interior under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. When Chapman learned that Anderson was not allowed to sing at Constitution Hall because of the color of her skin, he took it upon himself to find her an appropriate venue for a concert and make an important statement about equality. With support from the highest levels of U.S. government, Chapman helped produce a landmark concert that - for at least one evening - bridged the color divide to bring a city and much of the nation together. [Grade Level: K-4]
