#TBT & #TIL - “He thought he could say whatever he wanted to #LenaHorne & get away wit

#TBT & #TIL - “He thought he could say whatever he wanted to #LenaHorne & get away with it, as if Lena wasn’t a #Brooklyn girl who would call him out on his B.S. & choose violence if the situation called for it. On February 15, 1960, the situation "did” call for it when a #racist #White man disrespected her inside of a Beverly Hills restaurant. His name was Harvey St. Vincent & he made several disparaging remarks about #AfricanAmericans in her presence (while Lena dined at a table nearby with her husband). That’s when Lena, who was the only #Black person inside of the restaurant at the time & who felt that the racist remarks were directed at her, stood up & confronted the man about his choice of words. But as she did this, Harvey became even more belligerent & started verbally attacking Lena & Black people in general. Thats when Lena grabbed cups, plates, bottles & whatever else she could get her hands on & taught him a lesson. Lena began hurling everything but the kitchen sink at him. Now luckily for Mr. St. Vincent, he could dodge most of the objects coming his way, but apparently he didn’t see a thick, glass ashtray that Lena had thrown, because that bad boy pelted him right upside his big ass head (which later required stitches). After that, Harvey didn’t want anymore smoke with Lena Horne. Police were called to the scene, but Harvey decided not to press any charges (probably out of guilt for reportedly calling Lena “another Black Ni**er” & yelling that “all Ni**ers look & smell the same”). After the incident went public, she received thousands of fan mail supporting her decision..✊" #ICYDK Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was a #mixed #American dancer, actress, Grammy-winning singer & civil rights activist. Her career spanned over 70 years, appearing in film, tv & theater. Her show “The Lady & Her Music” still holds the record for the longest running one woman show in Broadway history! She was #AfricanAmerican, #NativeAmerican & #WhiteEuropean descent. Let’s honor her for her courage. Stop staying silent! Let your feelings be known because they’re valid! (original post from @hollywood_ric) #mixedgirlproblems (at 1960’s) https://www.instagram.com/p/CT49cZfl0-j/?utm_medium=tumblr -- source link

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