New $5 Bill to Feature Danbury Civil Rights Pioneer Marian Anderson

DANBURY, CT- The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced plans for designs of the new $5, $10 and $20 notes.

The $5 bill will feature the late Danbury resident, Marian Anderson, who was regarded as one of the world’s most accomplished opera singers, as well as a pioneer for civil rights.

In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused to allow Ms. Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall in to keep the hall segregated. In protest, many members of the DAR resigned, including first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Anderson later performed at the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of 75,000 present and millions listening in through a live radio broadcast.

Ms. Anderson lived on a 50-acre farm in the Mill Plain area for over fifty years. She supported the Charles Ives Center for the Arts, served on the board of directors at the Danbury Music Center, and contributed to the Danbury chapter of the N.A.A.C.P.

“Danbury could not be more honored to see Marian Anderson nationally recognized for her accomplishments,” said Mayor Boughton. “Her story has influenced so many across the nation and we’re so proud that she was and always will be a Danburian.”

Marian Anderson’s image will share space with Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The final design is set to be released in 2020.