[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 72 (Thursday, May 13, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H3465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING LENA HORNE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WATSON. Today I would like to acknowledge the loss of one of 
Hollywood's brightest stars, the legendary Lena Horne. Lena Horne broke 
barriers as a performer. She began her career at age 16, making a name 
for herself as a dancer in Harlem's renowned Cotton Club in the 1930s. 
She became the first black performer with a major Hollywood studio 
contract. In 1942, Lena moved to Los Angeles, where she appeared in 
such movies as ``Cabin in the Sky,'' ``Meet Me in Las Vegas,'' and 
``The Wiz.'' Her role in the film ``Stormy Weather'' included her 
rendition of the title song, which became her trademark.
  A remarkable, charismatic entertainer, Horne became one of the top-
earning performers of black Hollywood by 1945. Lena is now credited 
with paving the way for many black actresses in Hollywood who aspire 
towards larger roles in film productions. Though primarily known as an 
entertainer, Horne also was noted for her work with civil rights and 
political organizations. As an actress, she refused to play roles that 
stereotyped African American women, and by the 1960s, she became a 
prominent celebrity voice in the civil rights movement. She joined in 
the March on Washington when Martin Luther King gave his ``I Have a 
Dream'' speech and spoke at a rally with Medgar Evers. Her one-woman 
show, ``Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music,'' garnered many awards, 
including a Drama Critics' Circle Award and a special achievement Tony 
Award. In 1984, Horne received a Kennedy Center honor for lifetime 
contribution to the arts, and in 1989, a Grammy Award for lifetime 
achievement.
  As a pioneer black celebrity in a time when blacks went in the back 
door, Lena Horne sang out, and she sang out front and entertained the 
Nation and the world. Her smile and her presence opened doors in a time 
when blacks were denied their basic civil rights. She lit up Hollywood. 
And we join the Nation, her family, her friends, and colleagues in 
mourning the loss of this legendary entertainer and civil rights 
activist.

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