Lena Horne, 1917-2010

Lena Horne died yesterday at the age of 92. She was a great singer and actress who struggled against terrible racism in America (and was blacklisted in the 1950's for her progressive political views). According to Wikipedia, some states wouldn't allow films with black performers, so Horne couldn't be a leading lady, but only play a part where she could easily be edited out.

Apparently, she hoped to play the character of Julie LaVerne, a light-skinned back woman married to a white man and "passing" for white, in the 1951 movie, Show Boat. But in America back then, you couldn't show a real black woman married to a white man, even when that was the plot of the story. So Ava Gardner, in dark makeup and with all her songs dubbed, got the part instead.

Well, racism is still common, but we've come a long way since then, and Horne was lucky enough to see those changes.