Awards & Honors

1939: NAACP Spingarn Medal
1963: Presidential Medal of Freedom
1973: University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit
1973: National Women’s Hall of Fame
1977: United Nations Peace Prize
1977: New York City – Handel Medallion
1977: Congressional Gold Medal
1978: Kennedy Center Honors
1980: United States Treasury Department gold commemorative medal
1984: Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award of the City of New York
1986: National Medal of Arts
1991: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Honorary doctorate from Howard University, Temple University, Smith College