[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 120 (Thursday, September 11, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S9237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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          IN RECOGNITION OF ETTA MOTEN BARNETT'S 96TH BIRTHDAY

 Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, I would like to extend my 
heartfelt congratulations to Etta Moten Barnett on the occasion of her 
recent 96th birthday. Mrs. Barnett is a remarkable woman who has lived 
a life of great artistic and civic achievement.
  By the time she was 30, Mrs. Barnett was married, had three children, 
divorced, and returned to school. After receiving a fine arts degree in 
voice from the University of Kansas, Mrs. Barnett moved to New York 
City to begin an illustrious career in show business that would take 
her around the world and before millions of people.
  Mrs. Barnett distinguished herself with her incredible singing 
ability, both on the stage and on the silver screen. Her theatrical 
accomplishments include Broadway performances of ``Porgy and Bess'', 
``Fast and Furious'', ``Sugar Hill'', ``Zombie'', and ``Lysistrata''. 
George Gershwin wrote the role of Bess with Mrs. Barnett in mind, and 
she performed in the starring role in the first revival of ``Porgy and 
Bess'' on Broadway in 1942.
  Mrs. Barnett's film credits include ``The Gold Diggers'', ``Flying 
Down to Rio'', and ``My Forgotten Man''. Her stirring performance in 
The ``Carioca'' earned the film an Oscar nomination for best song. 
After seeing her in ``My Forgotten Man'', President Franklin Roosevelt 
invited Mrs. Barnett to personally sing for him, and thus, she became 
the first African-American woman ever to perform at the White House.
  Although Mrs. Barnett stopped performing in 1952, her contributions 
to American society continued. Along with husband Claude Barnett, the 
founding director of the Associated Negro Press, Mrs. Barnett took an 
active interest in issues affecting people of color around the world 
and became a champion of equal rights for all people.
  As a founding member of the North Shore Chapter of the Links, Inc. in 
Chicago, Mrs. Barnett continues to give freely of herself to numerous 
cultural and civic organizations. Her commitment to improving the 
plight of women throughout the world was recognized when she was the 
first nongovernmental organization representative of the Links at the 
United Nations.
  Etta Moten Barnett is truly an American legend. In honoring her 96th 
birthday, I join her family, friends, and colleagues in commending her 
for her outstanding accomplishments. Her talent on Broadway and on film 
has touched thousands of Americans, and her hard work, gracefulness, 
and civic-mindedness has inspired and set an example for thousands 
more.

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