fuckyeahblackbeauties:

blackfashion:

Legendary singer, dancer, and aactress Lena Horne — who broke racial barriers for African-Americans when she signed a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio in the 1940s — died at a New York hospital over the weekend. She was 92.

Horne was the first person of color to sign a long-term movie contract with a major Hollywood studio. In 1942, she inked a contract with MGM, breaking a barrier once thought impossible to reach for African-Americans. The Stormy Weather star went on to appear in a bevy of musicals, such as Thousands Cheer in 1943, Broadway Rhythm in 1944, Two Girls and a Sailor in 1944, Ziegfeld Follies in 1946, and Words and Music in 1948.