Archive for June, 2010
In May of 2010 the singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer Lena Horne passed away at the age of 93. She was born in Brooklyn, New York. Lena was raised by her grandparents after her father left the family when Lena was three and her mother was a traveling actress in a black theater troupe.
When Lena was sixteen she joined the chorus line of the Cotton Club located in New York City. Throughout her life Lena worked as an actress, singer and dancer. She traveled around the world entertaining audiences of many sizes. Lena performed in the movie Panama Hattie in 1942 for MGM and went on to make many movies throughout her career. It wasn’t unusual for her to be edited out of a completed movie before it was shown in states that did not allow the showing of movies featuring black performers.
Lena died on May 9, 2010 in New York City and was survived by her daughter and grandchildren. She was buried in The Evergreen Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
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Tags: Mary Draper Ingles was an Irish immigrant who lived in Draper’s Meadow, Virginia with her husband, children and extended family. Shawnee warriors attacked the settlement, murdered some of the settlers and kidnapped others including Mary. Mary and her two small children traveled by foot with the other hostages until they reached an Indian settlement in Ohio. Mary’s children were taken from her and then she traveled with her captors to Kentucky. Mary worked in the Indian village sewing shirts for a trader who lived in the village. In October Mary escaped with an older Dutch female captive again traveling by foot towards home. The journey was about six hundred miles and lasted 40 days. After this long journey Mary was reunited with her husband. Mary’s son Thomas was freed and returned home in 1768 but his brother George died while captive. Mary went on to have several more children and died at the age of 83.
Mary displayed incredible grace and was brave throughout her ordeal. We have much we can learn from her life.
