p
pLena Horne, who was the first black performer to be signed to a long … Horne was no longer under contract to MGM at the time, and according to James Gavinapos;s Horne biography, quot;Stormy Weather,quot; published last year, she was never seriously considered …/pp… Lena Horne should report to his undertaker immediately and turn himself in,quot; actor and friend Ossie Davis said on quot;Lena Horne: In Her Own Voice,quot; a 1996 installment of PBSapos; quot;American Mastersquot; biography series. (3 of 6) quot;In the history of …/p
Acirc;nbsp;So what might have been hadAcirc;nbsp;skin color not been a hindrance to her than just the physical. In 1964, Cuban filmmaker Santiago Alvarez cut a five minute political film called quot;Now,quot; a montage of Civil Rights-era photos and newsclips set to the sound of Horne singing the titular song as a call to arms for those who would stand against injustice. Her vocal talents landed her a starring role in quot;Cabin in the Sky,quot; the Hollywood debut for noted filmmaker Vincente Minnelli, an effort which is all the more notable for its use — in 1943 — of an all-African American cast. Acirc;nbsp; . Acirc;nbsp;Still, there will always beAcirc;nbsp;thisamp;#8230;amp;#8212;amp;#8211;The New York Times has an in-depth obituary here, and Life Magazine has a wonderful array of photos.
a href=http://sagitariand.neublogs.com/?p=4Lena Horne Quotes/a
h3a href=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/may/10/lena-horne-breakthrough-actWorld news: Race issues | guardian.co.uk/a/h3pimg alt= src=http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/29011?ns=guardianpageName=Lena+Horne%2C+a+true+breakthrough+act+%7C+Lola+Adesioye%3AArticle%3A1397303ch=Comment+is+freec3=GU.co.ukc4=Lena+Horne%2CMusic%2CRace+issues+%28News%29%2CWorld+newsc6=Lola+Adesioyec7=10-May-10c8=1397303c9=Articlec10=Commentc11=Comment+is+freec13=c25=CIF+America+%28Blog%29%2CComment+is+freec30=contenth2=GU%2FComment+is+free%2Fblog%2FCif+America width=1 height=1 /p class=standfirstHorne fought racism, became one of the most successful African-American entertainers and left a legacy of empowerment/ppWith the passing of singer, actor and entertainer Lena Horne in New York yesterday at the age of 92, we remember yet another person #8211; an African-American woman #8211; whose life and work paved the way for America to be what it is today. It was the perseverance and passion of people like Lena Horne that helped shift America away from the accepted segregation and discrimination of the 40s, 50s and 60s to having an African-American president in 2010. In Horne#039;s day, being a black actress was a civil rights act within itself./pp/ppLena Horne will be remembered as a woman who stood strong, for more than 70 years, in the face of what could have been spirit-crushing discrimination. In doing so, she leaves a legacy of inspiration and empowerment as well as wonderful music and memories for many Americans./pp/ppHorne#039;s career started at 16 when her mother sent her to sing in the chorus at Harlem#039;s Cotton Club (which still exists), an entertainment venue where black entertainers performed for wealthy white audiences. In 1942, the beautiful Horne signed a long-term movie contract with MGM, becoming one of the first African-Americans to do so and, by 1943, had become one of the highest paid African-American earners in the industry./pp/ppLife was not all roses, though. Horne#039;s career was marked by her battle against racism and segregation. Indeed, it is that which made her triumphs and successes all the more fascinating. She was regularly passed over for major Hollywood roles because of her complexion, and was given roles as a singer instead; roles which could easily be edited out of movies once they reached the south. She was considered too dark to play a lead character, yet too light-skinned to play a maid, the character most often assigned to a black female actress. There#039;s no doubt that Horne felt the weight and pressure of race on her life, writing in her autobiography:/pp/ppThey didn#039;t make me into a maid, but they didn#039;t make me anything else, either #8230; I became a butterfly pinned to a column, singing away in Movieland./pp/ppAt that time, it was extremely rare to see African-Americans in the media and Horne was a breakthrough act, fearlessly fighting through the segregation in order to have her voice heard and her face seen. Considering the circumstances, it is amazing that she continued to perform at all, and her life is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of strong external opposition./pp/ppHorne, always outspoken, persevered and became a singing star instead, eventually ending up on Broadway where she became a darling of white audiences. As a singer, she flourished, yet her skin tone still dominated her life and career. In the 50s, for example, Horne found herself banned from working on films in the US due to her friendship with actor and activist Paul Robeson./pp/ppAfrican-American representation in entertainment and film has grown markedly since the 40s when Horne first became famous. However, there#039;s no doubt that there are many black actresses who still feel that they are overlooked, or just outrightly discriminated against, in Hollywood due to their skin tone. Some of the same issues that Horne faced are still at work in Hollywood where black actors #8211; with the exception of a handful of a few, such as Halle Berry #8211; are rarely cast into lead or mainstream roles, and where discussions about skin tone still take place. After the success of the recent movie Precious, it was asked what other kinds of roles lead character Gabourey Sidibe would be cast in considering not only her weight, but her dark skin. The fact that a dark-skinned black actress played a lead role in a mainstream movie #8211; albeit a role of someone who was troubled and went through difficult times #8211; was in itself rather unusual. So, even though Horne accomplished much in that arena, much more is still to be done./pp/ppMay all of us continue to be inspired by Horne#039;s will to succeed and to overcome in the face of difficulties. We will continue to use her example to work for opening more doors towards an even more inclusive society and world./pLena HorneRace issuesLola Adesioyeguardian.co.uk copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms Conditions | More Feedsp/ph3a href=http://manolobig.com/2010/05/10/the-lazy-monday-poll/Manolo for the Big Girl/a/h3pGood morning my little duck confits, howamp;#8217;s every little thing?
Today I am greatly grieved to hear of the death of Lena Horne, who was capital F fierce.#160; She was one of the greats, my friends and I think itamp;#8217;s only fitting to revive the Friday Fierceness in her honor later this week.
Last weekamp;#8217;s Lazy Poll /p
/p