She was raised by a poor white couple in Middletown, CT but won a scholarship at age 14 to the Hartt School of Music in Hartford. Soon after, she was introduced to
Paul Robeson, on whose career she modeled her own. They remained close friends until his death. After four years at the Hartt School, she won an audition for the Metropolitan Opera but when the scout came to the school and saw she was black, he would not even look her in the eye.