[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 73 (Friday, May 14, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S3786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 529--CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF LENA 
  MARY CALHOUN HORNE AND HONORING HER FOR HER TRIUMPHS AGAINST RACIAL 
                              DISCRIMINA-
  TION AND HER STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF ALL PEOPLE

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Mr. Burris, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown of 
Ohio, Mr. Casey, Mr. Levin, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Nelson of 
Florida, Mr. Schumer, and Ms. Collins) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 529

       Whereas Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was a trail-blazing 
     performing artist whose life exemplified her commitment to 
     social justice, peace, and civil rights;
       Whereas Ms. Horne was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 
     30, 1917, and joined the chorus of the famed Cotton Club in 
     Harlem at the age of 16 and debuted on Broadway one year 
     later in the musical ``Dance With Your Gods'' (1934);
       Whereas during the 1940s, Ms. Horne was one of the first 
     African American women to perform with a white band ensemble, 
     the first black performer to play the Copacabana nightclub, 
     and among the first African Americans to sign a long-term 
     Hollywood film studio contract, garnering her roles in a host 
     of films, including ``Thousands Cheer'' (1943), ``Broadway 
     Rhythm'' (1944), ``Two Girls and a Sailor'' (1944), and 
     ``Ziegfeld Follies'' (1946);
       Whereas her rendition of the title song to the 1943 film 
     ``Stormy Weather'' became a major hit and among her signature 
     pieces, which also included ``Deed I Do'', ``As Long As I 
     Live'', and Cole Porter's ``Just One of Those Things'';
       Whereas Ms. Horne recorded prolifically into the 1990s and 
     the record ``Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria'' became the 
     best-selling album by a female singer in RCA Victor's 
     history;
       Whereas Ms. Horne earned four Grammy Awards during the 
     course of her career, including the Recording Academy's 
     Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989, a National Association 
     for the Advancement of Colored People Image Award in 1999, 
     and a Kennedy Center Honor in 1984;
       Whereas Ms. Horne appeared extensively on television, 
     including specials with Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, 
     numerous musical reviews and variety shows, and appearances 
     on programs like ``Sesame Street'' and ``The Cosby Show'';
       Whereas she was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1957 
     for her role in the musical ``Jamaica'', and her 1981 one-
     woman Broadway show, ``Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music'', 
     earned her a Tony Award, a Grammy Award, and ran for more 
     than 300 performances;
       Whereas despite Ms. Horne's pioneering contract with MGM 
     studios, she was never featured in a leading role during the 
     1940s and 50s because her films had to be reedited for 
     theaters in Southern States that proscribed films with black 
     performers;
       Whereas Ms. Horne was outspoken in her fight for racial 
     equality;
       Whereas during World War II, she used her own money to 
     travel and entertain the troops;
       Whereas while Ms. Horne performed at Army camps for the 
     U.S.O., she became an outspoken critic of the treatment of 
     African American servicemen and refused to sing before 
     segregated audiences and at venues in which German Prisoners 
     of War were seated in front of black soldiers;
       Whereas during the late 1940s, Ms. Horne sued a number of 
     restaurants and theaters for racial discrimination;
       Whereas Ms. Horne was only two years old when her 
     grandmother, suffragette, and civil rights activist Cora 
     Calhoun enrolled her as a member of the National Association 
     for the Advancement of Colored People, and she was an 
     honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and worked 
     for years with the Urban League;
       Whereas she participated in numerous civil rights rallies 
     and demonstrations--marching with Medgar Evers in 
     Mississippi, performing at rallies throughout the Nation for 
     the National Council of Negro Women, and taking part in the 
     March on Washington in August 1963 at which the Rev. Martin 
     Luther King, Jr., delivered his ``I Have a Dream'' speech;
       Whereas her commitment to civil rights and political views 
     may have resulted in her appearance on Hollywood 
     ``blacklists'' during the 1950s;
       Whereas Ms. Horne worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to pass 
     antilynching legislation;
       Whereas with her wide musical range and consummate 
     professionalism, she rose beyond Hollywood's stereotypical 
     portrayals of African American as maids, butlers, and African 
     natives; and
       Whereas her poise, grace, and courage paved the way for 
     generations of women and African Americans: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate celebrates the life and 
     achievements of Lena Mary Calhoun Horne and honors her for 
     her triumphs against racial discrimination and her steadfast 
     commitment to the civil rights of all people.

                          ____________________