I was a little girl about 8 years old when my South Bronx school went to the Schoenberg Museum in Harlem. They had a film on the Harlem Renaissance with a long segment on Lena Horne. I remember being mesmerized. I saw that big smile, the fire of a beautiful black woman who looked like my black Cuban /Puerto Rican family I was hooked. I had never seen anyone so elegant and powerful. I grew up smacked dab in the middle of the hip hop era where music corporations were shoving "pathology porn" images on my community with drug dealer rappers and, stripper rapper girls like Little Kim. And here was Miss Horne elegance. She still had a grit, a strength, very familiar to me as a inner city kid. Yet she was a timeless treasure who made me see myself and dream beyond my South Bronx reality. I live in Rome now and I think somehow that day in Harlem watching Lena Horne made me know there was a world outside of the projects for a little black girl like me. Thank you so much Miss Horne, God bless your spirit 💋🇮🇹
Funny, she only made it because she didn't look like the rest. There are plenty of poc in her films. She simply didn't look like them. She was prettier. And capable of leaning
Beauty helped to get her in the door, no doubt, but beauty alone wasn’t enough to carry her over a 50 year career. Look at what happened to Dorothy Dandridge. Lena had grit. She was more than just a pretty face.
Hell yeah, welcome! I listen to and read Malcolm all the time... I've loved him ever since I was a kid. It's great to see TCM, which has also been a major influence since childhood, is helping to finally shift the spotlight towards the history, and future, of women and people of color as filmmakers. It's a priceless history, which needs to be preserved and shared. However you get here, I'm glad!
Like every Black person, I understand Lena's rage and frustration ! To be full of Energy and Optimism but to be Marginalized and Denied. You "wither - on -the - vine".
(A) Black-led casts were quite rare, (B) Lena Horne was one of a small number with a studio contract, (C) she was seen as one of the first to have the opportunity to do a variety of roles outside of the stereotypes (mostly maids, mammies, and “African savages”). But it’s true she was not completely alone.
I was a little girl about 8 years old when my South Bronx school went to the Schoenberg Museum in Harlem. They had a film on the Harlem Renaissance with a long segment on Lena Horne. I remember being mesmerized. I saw that big smile, the fire of a beautiful black woman who looked like my black Cuban /Puerto Rican family I was hooked. I had never seen anyone so elegant and powerful. I grew up smacked dab in the middle of the hip hop era where music corporations were shoving "pathology porn" images on my community with drug dealer rappers and, stripper rapper girls like Little Kim. And here was Miss Horne elegance. She still had a grit, a strength, very familiar to me as a inner city kid. Yet she was a timeless treasure who made me see myself and dream beyond my South Bronx reality. I live in Rome now and I think somehow that day in Harlem watching Lena Horne made me know there was a world outside of the projects for a little black girl like me. Thank you so much Miss Horne, God bless your spirit 💋🇮🇹
why did you move to Italy?
Funny, she only made it because she didn't look like the rest. There are plenty of poc in her films. She simply didn't look like them. She was prettier. And capable of leaning
Beauty helped to get her in the door, no doubt, but beauty alone wasn’t enough to carry her over a 50 year career. Look at what happened to Dorothy Dandridge. Lena had grit. She was more than just a pretty face.
I want more!!! This was awesome! I absolutely love and adore Lena Horne. I wish there were more documentaries on her ❤️❤️
What a natural talent & beauty🎀💅
This reluctant pioneer has my highest respect. She was awesome RIP Lena Horne.
She was something else.
I imagine her father must have been so proud of his beautiful daughter
She was such a beautiful & talented woman. Love her song Stormy Weather. We saw her in person during her later years. She was fantastic.
May my granddad rest in peace he liked Lena Horne
Wow. How nice they taught you to sing and have you a career
Pure Class.🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
What a gorgeous woman!
A real classy lady and a class act!
Good hi excellents!!!!
A Malcolm X speech brought me here
Hell yeah, welcome! I listen to and read Malcolm all the time... I've loved him ever since I was a kid. It's great to see TCM, which has also been a major influence since childhood, is helping to finally shift the spotlight towards the history, and future, of women and people of color as filmmakers. It's a priceless history, which needs to be preserved and shared. However you get here, I'm glad!
🌷
Black and beautiful
The wiz is a movie hat the Wizard of oz dares tries
Like every Black person, I understand Lena's rage and frustration ! To be full of Energy and Optimism but to be Marginalized and Denied. You "wither - on -the - vine".
Represent all of a people? I thought I saw plenty of poc in those movies. You weren't alone.
(A) Black-led casts were quite rare, (B) Lena Horne was one of a small number with a studio contract, (C) she was seen as one of the first to have the opportunity to do a variety of roles outside of the stereotypes (mostly maids, mammies, and “African savages”). But it’s true she was not completely alone.
5:11 she probably had on that Egyptian tone makeup here because I’m certain she was almost as fair skinned as a white woman
🔺🔺🔺
They segregated her in Hollywood. Shame