This was filmed by a newsreel crew of the Hearst Metrotone Newsreel service, but the footage was not released to the general public for several years. The material was eventually deposited with the UCLA Film and Television archives in Los Angeles, where it has been preserved.
The 1930s were not known as a great decade for civil rights -- the 50s and 60s were yet to come. But here we see a small example -- when denied the rental of the Daughters of the American Revolution's venue, the Secretary of the Interior stepped up and put on a free concert or the people. And not only did he do this (which was no big deal considering it's public property), he gave a heartfelt speech about equality and brought with him NBC radio. When is the last time the Secretary of the Interior did something meaningful? The fur coat worn by Marian Anderson in this footage is now housed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The coat was displayed alongside numerous other artifacts to eleven US cities as part of the Smithsonian's traveling exhibition which lasted from February 1996 to late 1997).
