What does it take to be the best to do it? 

In Part 1 of this Black Is America podcast presentation, we chronicle the story of the great American contralto Marian Anderson. We discuss her early singing experiences in church, the power and emotion of the Negro spiritual, and why what Black America creates is often hard to duplicate.

In this episode, you will hear:

• About Marian's upbringing
• Why the church is essential to the African American community
• The cheat code embedded in the black community
• About H.T. Burleigh and the art of the Negro spiritual
• Why did Marian Anderson go to Europe
• And so much more