A crowd of over 2,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial yesterday for a concert to honor the late opera singer Marian Anderson. The day marked the seventieth anniversary of Anderson’s historic 1939 performance in front of 75,000 Whites and Blacks after she was barred from Washington D.C.’s Constitution Hall. Opera star Denyce Graves participated in the concert, performing three of the same songs Anderson sang that day 70 years ago: “America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee),” “O, Mio Fernando” and “Ave Maria.” Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was also in attendance and recited excerpts from President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address.—LB