Welcome to Retro Rewind, the TGJ original feature designed to celebrate TV and Film’s brightest moments and honour our creative ancestors.
Today, we revisit the life of Lena Horne.
Born on June 30th 1917, the entertainer was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant and was the descendant of an enslaved Senegalese girl as well as the seventh vice President of the United States John C. Calhoun according to some reports.
Her uncle, Frank S. Horne, would go on to become adviser to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and raised her between 1927 and 1929. Undoubtedly inspired by her family’s rich legacy, Horne would go on to carve one of her own in the fall of 1933 when she launched what would become a groundbreaking career.
Join us below as we revisit some of her best and brightest moments.
This woman was truly incredible.
She paved the way for Nicki Minaj to squat down on all fours and shame herself.