LEGENDARY: Lena Horne, Our Bronze Venus (1919-2010)

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne

Singer, Actress, Civil Rights Activist

(June 30, 1917 - May 9, 2010)

Stormy Weather was the first all-Black classic film that I had ever seen (and helped to establish my love for Black classic films). When I was a kid, the local television station would, once or twice a year, air this classic, and I would stop whatever I was doing to watch it. My favorite part was when Lena Horne's character, "Selena Rogers", sang Ms. Horne's signature song, "Stormy Weather" as the great Katherine Dunham danced in the background. Like everyone else, I was in awe of her beauty and the classy way she carried herself. Ms. Horne as a glamourous, sophisticated leading lady was a welcomed depature to the maid and "mammy" roles I was accustomed to seeing Black actors play when watching films from yesteryear.

It wasn't until I got older, and read more about Ms. Horne, that I learned that she was more than a pretty face. She was a pioneer who broke barriers for Black performers, becoming the first Black actor to sign a contract with a major Hollywood studio. Ms. Horne was also a fierce advocate for Civil Rights, working with Paul Robeson (which caused her to be blacklisted during McCarthy's Red Scare), refusing to perform for segregated audiences at USO performances, participating in the March on Washington in 1963 and, my personal favorite, throwing at lamp at a customer who made a racial slur at a Beverly Hills restaurant. In Brian Lanker's book, "I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America", Ms. Horne said, "I was always battling the system to try to get to be with my people. Finally, I wouldn't work for places that kept us out. ... It was a damn fight everywhere I was, every place I worked, in New York, in Hollywood, all over the world".

Thank you, Ms. Horne, our Bronze Venus, for showing the world that Black is beautiful, strong, elegant, classy and courageous.

"I don't have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I'd become. I'm me, and I'm like nobody else." - Lena Horne

Suggested Reading:

The Hornes: An American Family  by Gail Lumet Buckley

LEGENDARY: Eunice Johnson, Our Fashion Fair Lady (1916-2010)

(Photo: EbonyJet.com)

Grace and class are two words family and friends use to describe Eunice Walker Johnson, the founder of Johnson Publishing, Ebony Fashion Fair and Fashion Fair Cosmetics, who passed away Sunday at the age of 93.

Eunice Johnson looking over sketches with Yves St. Laurent

(Photo: EbonyJet.com)

Mrs. Johnson was a visionary who understood that image is everything to the Black community. Armed with luxurious haute couture gowns, statuesque brown beauties and a runway, Mrs. Johnson sought to redefine the image of the Black woman. She forced fashion designers to take notice of the beauty of Black women and how our darker hues could accentuate or enhance their designs. At the same time, Mrs. Johnson introduced us to a world of luxury and art, and helped to elevate our self-esteem. “She was an astute fashion person who had more than just fashion in her background. She was an interior designer. She was a lover of art", says Audrey Smaltz, founder of The Ground Crew, a fashion show production company, and former Ebony Fashion Fair commentor from 1970-1977. "She introduced me to luxury, art and culture way beyond what I went to school for. I graduated with an art degree. She took me to a Ph.D.”

The Ebony Fashion Fair began in 1956 as an idea by the late Jessie Covington Dent, who was looking to put on a fashion show that would benefit the Women's Auxillary of Flint-Goodroch Hospital in New Orleans. Enter the late John H. Johnson, founder of Johnson Publishing Company and the husband of Mrs. Johnson. The show was a success and Mr. Johnson, along with his wife, decided to expand it into a multi-city traveling fashion show to help raise money for other charities. Over the years, Ebony Fashion Fair raised more than $55 million for various charity organizations.

In the beginning it was rough. Many designers refused to sell their clothing to Mrs. Johnson because, according to Mr. Johnson, they were concerned that "white women wouldn’t value their designs if they were worn by Black women". However, through perserverance and her Southern charm, Mrs. Johnson won them over, becoming the largest buyer of European haute couture, according to Kenneth Owen, assistant producer of Ebony Fashion Fair.

Via the Ebony Fashion Fair, Mrs. Johnson was also instrumental in launching the careers of some of today's fashion legends like Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Roberto Cavalli, and Pierre Cardin when they were the new kids on the runway. The work of Black designers, like B. Michael, Willi Smith, Patrick Kelly and Stephen Burrows were also regularly featured throughout the years. Pat Cleveland, one of the first Black supermodels, cut her teeth on the Ebony Fashion Fair circuit, as did actor, Richard Roundtree and TV personality, Janet Langhart Cohen.

Mrs. Johnson is survived by her daughter, Linda Johnson Rice and granddaughter, Alexa Christina Rice. In honor of Mrs. Johnson's philanthropy and contribution to the fashion industry, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will hold a special tribute on January 11th. According to EbonyJet.com, this event was planned months in advance prior to Mrs. Johnson's passing.

(SOURCE: EbonyJet.com)

LEGENDARY: Fashion Pioneer, Naomi Sims (1948 - 2009)

Naomi Sims at Oprah's Legends Ball
(Photo: Kwaku Alston)

The fashion industry has lost one of its legends.

The NY Times reports that Naomi Sims, considered by some to be the first Black supermodel, passed away at the age of 61 from cancer.

As the first Black model to appear on the cover of Ladies' Home Journal in 1968, Ms. Sims was not only a pioneer, but a trailblazer helping to usher in the "Black Is Beautiful" movement. As the late designer, Halston, correctly noted, Ms. Sims was the "great ambassador for all Black people".

And Ms. Sims took this responsibility seriously. In 1972, she was offered the title role in the "blaxploitation" movie "Cleopatra Jones", but turned it down because she felt it was a racist portrayal of Black people.

Ms. Sims was more than a beautiful face. Her ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit provided fashion models with the blueprint for maneuvering one's career beyond the runway. In 1973, Ms. Sims went from runway diva to business woman, creating the Naomi Sims Collection, a line of wigs and cosmetics designed specifically for Black women. The line was extremely successful, with annual sales of $5 million. Ms. Sims went on to write several books, as well as an advice column in Right On! magazine. In a 1969 interview with the NY Times, Ms. Sims said:

“There is nothing sadder than an old, broke model, and there are many models who have nothing at the end of their career.”

Ms. Sims' success in the fashion industry was a victory for all Black women. Every magazine cover, every editorial spread helped to redefine society's concept of beauty, as well as strengthen our self-esteem. As Ms. Sims overcame in couture, she took us along for the ride.

“It’s ‘in’ to use me...and maybe some people do it when they don’t really like me. But even if they are prejudiced, they have to be tactful if they want a good picture.” -- Naomi Sims

LEGENDARY: A Tribute to Eartha Kitt (1927-2008)

Feline, Feminine, Fantastical. Those are the words to describe entertainer extraordinare, Eartha Kitt who passed away on Christmas Day. She was 81.

Ms. Kitt (nee Eartha Mae Keith) was one of the grandest Divas of her time, not just because she oozed sex appeal sans vulgarity, and had penchant for the finer things in life, but because she dared to stand up for what she believed in at a time when that was not acceptable.

In 1968, Ms. Kitt was invited to a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson. What followed was the stuff of legends. When the late first lady asked Ms. Kitt for her thoughts on the rise of juvenile deliquency, Ms. Kitt said the Vietnam War was to blame. Here's Ms. Kitt's account of the event in an interview with the Philadelphia City Paper in 1997:

Do you feel the weight of the late-'60s blacklisting even now?
Not so much from the public, but behind the scenes, they feel that I did something that was not quite kosher even though I was right in telling the truth. [Robert] McNamara came out with his book saying I was right for saying we should not be involved in that war. It was alright for him to be responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of our boys because he wanted to keep his position. When you stand up and tell the truth, it will set you free, providing the truth eventually comes out.
Did you perform at the luncheon where you made the remark? Were reporters there?
No. Lady Bird Johnson invited me and 49 other women to give opinions about why there was so much juvenile delinquency in the streets of America at that time. The main problem was our involvement in Vietnam. She asked me a question and I gave her my opinion. There was no ranting and raving and screaming and I was not out there to sing songs.
What was your greatest setback due to this blacklist?
That I couldn't work. What could be more setting back than that? It stopped me from working because President Johnson said, "I don't want to see that woman's face anywhere. Out of sight, out of mind." And it locked the door to working at theaters and clubs. They didn't want me to work there because they did not want the CIA and FBI on their doorstep.
What is the greatest triumph you learned through all of this?

That we have to endure all the nonsense that the politicians are throwing at us all the time. You have to stand up and fight for what you know damn well is right. We happen to be living in a wonderful country, but if people are not willing to take care of business and be responsible for their own government, then [those same people] cannot be crying about what's happening.

Falsely branded by the CIA as "a sadistic nymphomaniac whose escapades and loose morals were the talk of Paris", it was ten years before Ms. Kitt was able to perform in the U.S. again. But it wasn't long before Ms. Kitt found herself embroiled in another controversy -- choosing to perform in South Africa during the reign of apartheid.

In 1974 and 1984, Ms. Kitt received a lot of criticism for choosing to perform before all white audiences in South Africa. This was a big no-no, especially among Black entertainers. However, Ms. Kitt wasn't phased by the attacks she received from her colleagues and friends. There was a methond to her madness. She believed that her tour in South Africa helped the anti-apartheid movement by bringing attention to the racism that was going on, as well as build schools for Black children in South Africa. From an interview with Jet magazine in 1972:

"I do not approve of apartheid. You do not curse sickness by ignoring it. Some Black stars say they will only play to nonwhites for fantastic fees and take money from the pockets of the poor Black people. I'd rather take the money from the affluent whites."

Despite being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006, Ms. Kitt still remained active. She worked the cabaret circuit, successfully re-opening the Café Carlyle in 2007 and performing in cabaret engagements up until two months ago. Her friend and spokesperson, Andrew Freedman, said that she had planned to perform throughout 2009, having booked dates for the entire year.

Ms. Kitt endured rejection, both personal and professional, throughout her lifetime, but through it all, Ms. Kitt was able to persevere creating a legacy of that will resonate for years to come.

"When I look at my Eartha Kitt scrapbooks today, I think, 'You know, she did a pretty good job of herself. She didn't do too badly - for an ugly duckling." --- Eartha Kitt