The exterior of the Marian Anderson Museum & Historical Society in Philadelphia, is shown Monday, June 28, 2021. (Monica Herndon/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
The National Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society reopened this past weekend and celebrated those who made it possible.
By Denise Clay-Murray
Jillian Patricia Pirtle, CEO of the National Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society speaks to audience at the grand reopening of the Museum.
Photo: Phila. City Council
Last Saturday morning, CEO Jillian Patricia Pirtle welcomed supporters to the grand reopening of the Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society, which is located at 762 South Martin Street in South Philadelphia. Purchased 27 years ago by one of Anderson’s protegees, the late Blanche Burton Lyles, the museum includes memorabilia from Anderson’s performances and bits of her history. Council President Kenyatta Johnson, State Rep. Jordan Harris, School District of Philadelphia superintendent Tony Wadlington, and Pamela Rouse Wright, president general of the Daughters of the American Revolution were among the dignitaries gathered at the house, which contains dresses, photos and a bronze statue of Anderson, who sang at several presidential inaugurations and was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978.
Supporters of the museum also held a gala to celebrate the reopening of the place the famous contralto called home at the Wanamaker Building’s Crystal Tea Room last Sunday.
From left: Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke, Council Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, and Council President Kenyatta Johnson present a proclamation to Jillian Patricia Pirtle, CEO of the National Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society during a gala celebrating the museum’s reopening Sunday night at the Crystal Tea Room.
Photo by Denise Clay-Murray
Hosted by CBS-3’s Howard Monroe, the gala featured vocal performances from the MAHS singers, a big band and the MAHS Instrumental Ensemble, and served as a way to say thank you for the state and local officials, preservation activists and others that helped restore the museum, which had been closed due to a combination of the COVID-19 lockdown and a flood that had cause close to $1 million in damage to the historic contralto’s home.
Among the things that Anderson was best known for was her performance in front of the Lincoln Memorial. In 1939, Anderson performed there at the behest of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt when she was denied space in Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution due to her race. She also performed “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hand” in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The DAR, which contributed to the restoration of the museum, also sponsors a musical scholarship in Anderson’s name.
CELEBRATING AT THE gala are the evening’s honorees: Vincent Thompson, director of communications for Kenyatta Johnson, Council President Kenyatta Johnson and State Rep. Jordan Harris, chair of the state House Appropriations Committee.
Photo: Phila. City Council
At a time when the teaching of Black history is being forbidden in some spaces, restoring a building like the Marian Anderson Museum was crucial, not only because of what she meant to the city, but because of the history she represented, State Rep. Jordan Harris, chair of the state House Appropriations Committee and one of the night’s honorees, said.
“The truth is, we live in a time where there are many who would love to erase the contributions that Black people have provided to this country,” Harris said. “There are many folks who would like us to try to forget that Black history is American history, and that this country would not be the country that is today without the contribution of Black Americans.”
The National Marian Anderson Historical Society and Museum is located in the Second Councilmanic District, which is represented by Council President Kenyatta Johnson. In his acceptance of the Trailblazer Award, Johnson said that supporting the museum and getting it back on its feet was a matter of logic.
“If we can invest in the Art Museum, and we can invest in the other institutions, we can invest in the Marian Anderson Museum,” he said. “We’re going to advocate and fight for this.”
The museum also honored Vincent Thompson, Johnson’s director of communications as a community champion for his help. As part of his acceptance speech, he issued a challenge to those assembled to help the museum stay afloat with their support.
“Let me ask that everyone in this room to go out and tell your friends, your family, the groups that you belong to, to donate to the Marian Anderson Museum,” Thompson said. “It could be something as simple as $1 or $5 or $10 a week to make a big difference in the long term. You don’t have to be a millionaire to donate. You can give a little bit every week.”
If you would like to visit the National Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society, visit the organization’s website at: https://marianandersonhistoricalsociety.weebly.com/museum-tours.html for information on how to schedule a tour. You can also call the museum at: (215) 779-4219. Admission is $10.
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