So nice to see The Root's great slideshow of Black stars from the first half of the twentieth century, especially the brilliant Canada Lee and Harry Belafonte, both of whom deserve far more attention.
You can read an excerpt from Donald Bogle's new book on Lena Horne in The Hollywood Reporter. And if you haven't already, read his groundbreaking Brown Sugar: Over One Hundred Years of America's Black Female Superstars as well.
Ashawnta Jackson writes for JSTOR Daily about how "Black-owned beauty-centered businesses" used images of stars like Lena Horne to change mainstream understandings of beauty.
Belafonte talks about how difficult it was for politically engaged performers of the era to voice their opinions and beliefs. Despite this, Lena Horne wrote outspoken articles about racism in media for the Harlem newspaper, The People's Voice, like the one below:
The Times Square concert venue The Town Hall has created a prize to honor activism and art that will be named after Broadcast 41 member Lena Horne
Honoring those who "promote awareness and create social change," the Lena Horne Prize for Artists Creating Social Impact will be awarded in February. A $100,000 donation will be given to a charity of the winner's choice.