H. Res. 1362 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
May 19, 2010. 
Whereas Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was a trail-blazing per-
forming 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 Cot-
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 African 
Americans to sign a long-term Hollywood film studio con-
tract, garnering her roles in a host of films, including 
‘‘Thousands 
Cheer’’ 
(1943), 
‘‘Broadway 
Rhythm’’ 
(1944), ‘‘Two Girls and a Sailor’’ (1944), ‘‘Ziegfeld Fol-
lies’’ (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’’;
•HRES 1362 EH 
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 Asso-
ciation for the Advancement of Colored People Image 
Award in 1999, and a Kennedy Center Honor in 1984; 
Whereas Ms. Horne appeared extensively on television, in-
cluding specials with Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, nu-
merous musical reviews and variety shows, and appear-
ances 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 perform-
ances; 
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
•HRES 1362 EH 
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 grand-
mother, suffragette, and civil rights activist Cora Cal-
houn enrolled her as a member of the National Associa-
tion 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 Mis-
sissippi, 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 pro-
fessionalism, she rose beyond Hollywood’s stereotypical 
portrayals of African American as maids, butlers, and Af-
rican natives; and 
Whereas her poise, grace, and courage paved the way for gen-
erations of women and African Americans: Now, there-
fore, be it
•HRES 1362 EH 
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.