The Root: In Memorium 2010

[EFerrari]

(Excellent tribute to 48 black notables lost this year.)

Lena Horne



She was the pinup girl for thousands of black GIs in World War II and a fixture on the 1940s cabaret scene, and she dazzled on the big screen in Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather and, years later, The Wiz. But the apartheid of her era kept her from becoming a major movie star. A much beloved civil rights activist, she won a Tony award for her one-woman Broadway show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, in 1981. A class act in her own league, Horne died in May at 92.


Walter Payton Jr.



Payton, father of Grammy-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton, was a versatile musician who accompanied symphony orchestras, Robert Parker, Nancy Wilson, Harry Connick Jr., Clark Terry, Doc Paulin, the king of Thailand and many more. He taught generations of public school students in New Orleans and anchored the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. A professional musician throughout, Payton retired from the school system in 1991 and played around the world. He died in October at the age of 68.

Vernon Baker



In April 1945, Lt. Baker destroyed four German machine-gun nests, single-handedly ensuring that a strategic Italian hilltop was captured. Yet he was denied the Medal of Honor for valor. Fifty-two years later, President Bill Clinton awarded the medal to seven black World War II soldiers. Six were given posthumously. Baker, leader of a segregated unit, was there to receive his. He died on July 13 at age 90.

Dorothy Height



Height was the only woman among the civil rights movement's top leaders standing on the platform with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his "I Have a Dream'' speech. President of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, she inspired generations of black women to rise to greatness. She died in April at the age of 98.


Captions by Frank McCoy and Deron Snyder, photo credits at link

http://www.theroot.com/multimedia/memoriam-2010

[MuseRider]

1. Somehow I did not know that

Walter was the father of Nicholas! I love Nicholas when he gets on his loops and goes alternative, man is he something. Nice guy too.

RIP all, a big loss, all of them.

[EFerrari]

2. There are a lot of people I don't know on this list

and the photography is amazing. :)

[hootinholler]

3. Amazing!

Imagine being taught by a world class musician in a public school. Only in New Orleans.

-Hoot