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She was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1917
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In 1920, Lena was only 3 when her father left. Her mom traveled a lot so she started started living with different members. She also battled racial injustice throughout her career.
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She dropped out of school in 1933 at the age of 16. She left school to support her family and soon became a dancer.
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Lena was married to Louis Jones from 1937 to 1944. She had a boy and girl named Gail Buckley and Terry Jones. She married Lennie Hayton , a white band leader, in December 1947 in Paris, France, but they kept their marriage a secret for three years because of racial discrimination. They were together 15 years before seperating but, they never divorced. Her parents are Edna Louise Scottron and Edwin Fletcher Horne Jr.
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In 1938, she was featured in a musical known as ‘The Duke in Tops.’ In 1942, she got her big break when she got the job of being a singer at a famous Hollywood heavyweights
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She helped change society by changing how women were seen in film. In 1942, she also became the first African American actor to sign a long-term contract.
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She died on May 09, 2010. The cause of her death was congested heart failure.
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It influences my life today because if I did want to get into the singing or acting business then I won’t have to worry about standards, who’s going to stop me, or the obstacles she had to face.