Lena Horne is known as one of the most popular African American entertainers of the twentieth century. A woman of great beauty and commanding stage presence, she performed in nightclubs, concert halls, movies, and on radio and television. Lena Horne was also a civil rights activist. At the age of two, she was the youngest member of the NAACP. Lena’s photo appeared in the October 1919 issue of the NAACP Branch Bulletin. Lena Horne broke new ground for black performers when she signed a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio and went on to achieve international fame as a singer.

As an actress, Lena Horne refused to play roles that stereotyped African American women. Her one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music (1981), garnered many awards, including a Drama Critics’ Circle Award and a special achievement Tony Award. In 1984 Horne received a Kennedy Center honor for lifetime contribution to the arts, and in 1989 a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.