Lena Horne

The Great Lena Horne left this earth at the age of 92 on Sunday. Though I never saw her live, her essence and grace has always been a big part of my life. I admired Ms. Horne because she was a trendsetter she was one of the first African American actresses/singers who really could have been bigger than she was. Most people don't know that Hollywood and Broadway took forever to give her a real chance to shine. Lena Horne was a hell of a actress but because she was black they wouldn't give her the opportunity to show the world what most African-Americans already knew,that Lena would blow everybody out of the water. Her story is one of patience and perseverance. The majority of African American women that you see on Broadway or on screen today owe a great deal of gratitude to Ms. Horne, because she was made to wait in the wings, until the bigotry of Hollywood allowed her to do what she gifted to do. She was clearly a better actress and singer than all of her white counterparts, but she wasn't give the chance to show it on screen. We are blessed that we had her for as long as we did, a true gem, a lady, graceful and eloquent in and out of "stormy weather". The great Lena Horne, you will be missed. God Bless.