IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1345 

Honoring the life and achievements of Lena Calhoun Horne. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 11, 2010 

Ms. CLARKE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and achievements of Lena Calhoun Horne. 

Whereas Lena Horne was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 

June 30, 1917; 

Whereas Lena Horne died on May 9, 2010, at the age of 92 

in New York, New York, and is survived by her daughter 

Gail Lumet Buckley; 

Whereas Lena Horne joined the chorus of the famed Harlem 

nightclub ‘‘The Cotton Club’’ in 1933 at the age of 16; 

Whereas Lena Horne made her Broadway debut in 1934 in 

‘‘Dance With Your Gods’’; 

Whereas Lena Horne was the first Black performer to be 

signed to a meaningful long-term contract by a major 

Hollywood studio; 


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•HRES 1345 IH 

Whereas Lena Horne blazed a trail for Black female actresses in the Hollywood of the 1940s despite significant 

limitations based upon the color of her skin; 

Whereas Lena Horne appeared in several film musicals 

throughout the 1940s, including ‘‘Thousands Cheer’’ 

(1943), ‘‘Cabin in the Sky’’ (1943), ‘‘Stormy Weather’’ 

(1943), ‘‘Broadway Rhythm’’ (1944), ‘‘Two Girls and a 

Sailor’’ (1944), ‘‘Ziegfeld Follies’’ (1946), and ‘‘Words 

and Music’’ (1948); 

Whereas her one-woman Broadway show ‘‘Lena Horne: The 

Lady and Her Music’’ (1981) won two Grammy Awards 

and a Tony Award; 

Whereas the recording ‘‘Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria’’ 

(1957) became the best-selling album by a female singer 

in RCA Victor’s history; 

Whereas Lena Horne was outspoken in her fight for racial 

equality; 

Whereas in the late 1940s, Lena Horne sued a number of 

restaurants and theaters for racial discrimination; 

Whereas during World War II, Lena Horne used her own 

money to travel and entertain the troops; 

Whereas while entertaining troops at Fort Reilly, Kansas, 

during World War II, Lena Horne filed a complaint with 

the NAACP because African-American soldiers in the audience had to sit in back seats behind German POWs; 

Whereas after World War II Lena Horne worked with Japanese-Americans, who faced discrimination and internment; 

Whereas Lena Horne worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to pass 

anti-lynching laws; 


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•HRES 1345 IH 

Whereas Lena Horne was actively involved in the civil rights 

movement of the 1960s; 

Whereas Lena Horne stood with Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr., and other leaders of the civil rights movement on August 28, 1963, in the March on Washington for Jobs and 

Freedom; 

Whereas Lena Horne spoke and performed on behalf of the 

National Association for the Advancement of Colored 

People (NAACP), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating 

Committee (SNCC), and the National Council of Negro 

Women; and 

Whereas the passing of Lena Horne is a great loss to the Nation: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the trail-blazing achievements of 

3 Lena Horne in our Nation’s entertainment industry; 

4 and 

5 (2) pays tribute to Lena Horne, her talent, her 

6 fight for civil rights, her patriotism, and her 

7 groundbreaking achievements. 

Æ 


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