[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 277 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 277

 Expressing the sense of Congress that Lena Horne should be recognized 
   as one of the most outstanding American entertainers of the 20th 
   century, who broke racial barriers and created opportunities for 
    generations of African-American performers who followed in her 
                               footsteps.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 2010

  Mr. Rangel submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
      referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress that Lena Horne should be recognized 
   as one of the most outstanding American entertainers of the 20th 
   century, who broke racial barriers and created opportunities for 
    generations of African-American performers who followed in her 
                               footsteps.

Whereas Lena Horne was born on June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York;
Whereas she left school at the age of 14 and took her first job on the stage in 
        order to help her family survive the Depression of the 1930s;
Whereas Horne began singing at Harlem's famed Cotton Club at age 16 and moved on 
        to Broadway soon after;
Whereas Horne was 21 when she performed in her first musical film role, ``The 
        Duke is Tops'';
Whereas Lena Horne insisted on playing dignified characters that showcased her 
        musical talent, refusing to be typecast in subservient roles normally 
        reserved for Black actors;
Whereas Horne eventually signed with MGM studios, the first African-American to 
        be signed to a long-term film contract;
Whereas she insisted on the stipulation that she would never be required to play 
        a maid, only to find that she was edited out of films that were 
        distributed in the South;
Whereas in 1943 Horne performed in two all-Black musicals, ``Stormy Weather'' 
        and ``Cabin in the Sky'', which are regarded as the premier performances 
        of her career;
Whereas Lena Horne received a Special Tony Award in 1981 for her one-woman show 
        ``Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music'' for which she still holds the 
        record for the longest-running solo performance in Broadway history;
Whereas despite her fame and success, Lena Horne was committed to rectifying the 
        social injustices of her time and was involved in political activism 
        through organizations such as the National Council of Negro Women and 
        the NAACP;
Whereas Lena Horne was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and 
        worked tirelessly with Eleanor Roosevelt to pass anti-lynching laws;
Whereas Horne performed during the historic 1963 civil rights March on 
        Washington along with many noted artists, including Harry Belafonte, 
        Mahalia Jackson, Marian Anderson, and Josephine Baker; and
Whereas Lena Horne represented the elegance and glamour of Hollywood, and at the 
        same time the wisdom, strength, and determination of an entire 
        generation of performers who struggled through racism and prejudice 
        during the height of their careers: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that Lena Horne should be recognized 
for her achievements as one of the most outstanding American 
entertainers of the 20th century, for breaking racial barriers and 
creating opportunities for the generations of African-American 
performers who followed in her footsteps, for her contributions to the 
struggles for equality, and for using her celebrity as a catalyst for 
change.
                                 <all>