NAMES IN THE NEWS : Anderson Sings Census Praises
Singer Marian Anderson, whose concert before Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939 was a landmark in the fight against segregation, is asking black Americans to stand up and be counted in the 1990 census.
At a ceremony at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, the Census Bureau on Monday unveiled a campaign to reach as many blacks as possible after roughly 5% were missed in 1980.
“If they don’t know now, they’ll learn a little bit later that it really pays to stand up and be counted,” said Anderson, 88, who retired 25 years ago.
On April 9, 1939, Anderson sang in Washington before an illustrious audience, including Mrs. Roosevelt, at the Lincoln Memorial after she was barred from appearing in Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Census Bureau issued a poster Monday showing Anderson performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The poster urges blacks to “Lift Up Your Voice. Stand up for who you are. Answer the census on April 1, 1990.”
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