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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1362 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 1362

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                          May 19, 2010.
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), ``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 USO, 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 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 House of Representatives 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.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.
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