BlackFacts.com presents the black fact of the day for June 30.
Lena Horne was born.
She was an African-American dancer, actress, Grammy-winning singer, and civil rights activist.
Horne left school at age 16 to help support her ailing mother and became a dancer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City. She was discovered by producer John Hammond, and soon after she performed in a solo show at Carnegie Hall.
A remarkably charismatic entertainer, Horne was one of the most popular singers of her time. One of her albums, Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria, was a longtime best seller, and her first featured performance on Broadway.
She also was noted for her work with civil rights and political organizations; as an actress, she refused to play roles that stereotyped African American women.
In 1984 Horne received a Kennedy Center honor for lifetime contribution to the arts, and in 1989 she was given a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.
"Stormy Weather", a well-received biography of Horne's life, was published in 2009 and written by James Gavin. Horne also published her own memoir, "Lena", in 1965.
Learn black history, teach black history at blackfacts.com
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