[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1345 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1345

       Honoring the life and achievements of Lena Calhoun Horne.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 11, 2010

 Ms. Clarke submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
            the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
       Honoring the life and achievements of Lena Calhoun Horne.

Whereas Lena Horne was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 30, 1917;
Whereas Lena Horne died on May 9, 2010, at the age of 92 in New York, New York, 
        and is survived by her daughter Gail Lumet Buckley;
Whereas Lena Horne joined the chorus of the famed Harlem nightclub ``The Cotton 
        Club'' in 1933 at the age of 16;
Whereas Lena Horne made her Broadway debut in 1934 in ``Dance With Your Gods'';
Whereas Lena Horne was the first Black performer to be signed to a meaningful 
        long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio;
Whereas Lena Horne blazed a trail for Black female actresses in the Hollywood of 
        the 1940s despite significant limitations based upon the color of her 
        skin;
Whereas Lena Horne appeared in several film musicals throughout the 1940s, 
        including ``Thousands Cheer'' (1943), ``Cabin in the Sky'' (1943), 
        ``Stormy Weather'' (1943), ``Broadway Rhythm'' (1944), ``Two Girls and a 
        Sailor'' (1944), ``Ziegfeld Follies'' (1946), and ``Words and Music'' 
        (1948);
Whereas her one-woman Broadway show ``Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music'' 
        (1981) won two Grammy Awards and a Tony Award;
Whereas the recording ``Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria'' (1957) became the 
        best-selling album by a female singer in RCA Victor's history;
Whereas Lena Horne was outspoken in her fight for racial equality;
Whereas in the late 1940s, Lena Horne sued a number of restaurants and theaters 
        for racial discrimination;
Whereas during World War II, Lena Horne used her own money to travel and 
        entertain the troops;
Whereas while entertaining troops at Fort Reilly, Kansas, during World War II, 
        Lena Horne filed a complaint with the NAACP because African-American 
        soldiers in the audience had to sit in back seats behind German POWs;
Whereas after World War II Lena Horne worked with Japanese-Americans, who faced 
        discrimination and internment;
Whereas Lena Horne worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to pass anti-lynching laws;
Whereas Lena Horne was actively involved in the civil rights movement of the 
        1960s;
Whereas Lena Horne stood with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other leaders of 
        the civil rights movement on August 28, 1963, in the March on Washington 
        for Jobs and Freedom;
Whereas Lena Horne spoke and performed on behalf of the National Association for 
        the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Student Nonviolent 
        Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the National Council of Negro Women; 
        and
Whereas the passing of Lena Horne is a great loss to the Nation: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the trail-blazing achievements of Lena Horne 
        in our Nation's entertainment industry; and
            (2) pays tribute to Lena Horne, her talent, her fight for 
        civil rights, her patriotism, and her groundbreaking 
        achievements.
                                 <all>