Constitution Hall, located in Washington D.C., played a significant role in Black history during the civil rights movement. The hall was operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) organization, which had a policy of racial segregation and discrimination. This policy prevented African American performers, including the renowned opera singer Marian Anderson, from performing at Constitution Hall.

In 1939, when Marian Anderson was denied the opportunity to perform at Constitution Hall due to her race, the incident sparked national outrage and became a turning point in the civil rights movement. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR in protest, and with the support of the NAACP and the help of influential figures like Walter White and Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, Marian Anderson was able to perform at the Lincoln Memorial instead. The concert drew a crowd of over 75,000 people and was a powerful symbol of the fight against racial discrimination.

The incident highlighted the struggles faced by African Americans in accessing public spaces and opportunities, and it helped to galvanize support for the civil rights movement. In 1952, the DAR finally lifted its policy of segregation, but the actions at Constitution Hall in 1939 remain a powerful example of the racial inequalities of the time and the actions taken to challenge them.