IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1362 

Celebrating the life and achievements of Lena Mary Calhoun Horne and 

honoring her for her triumphs against racial discrimination and her 

steadfast commitment to the civil rights of all people. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 18, 2010 

Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Ms. CLARKE, Ms. WATSON, Ms. RICHARDSON, Mr. 

THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. COHEN, Mr. COOPER, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, 

Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. HASTINGS

of Florida, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. 

LOWEY, Mr. NADLER of New York, Mrs. MALONEY, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. TONKO, Mr. SNYDER, Mr. WATT, Ms. FUDGE, 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. CLAY, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. SERRANO, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, and Ms. JACKSON

LEE of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the life and achievements of Lena Mary Calhoun 

Horne and honoring her for her triumphs against racial 

discrimination and her steadfast commitment to the civil 

rights of all people. 

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 CotVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:40 May 19, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1362.IH HR1362

PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HRES 1362 IH 

ton 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 AfricanAmericans 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’’; 


PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HRES 1362 IH 

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 

worked for years with the Delta Sigma Theta sorority 

and 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 


PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HRES 1362 IH 

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-Americans 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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives cele2 brates the life and achievements of Lena Mary Calhoun 

3 Horne and honors her for her triumphs against racial dis4 crimination and her steadfast commitment to the civil 

5 rights of all people. 

Æ 


PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS