Lena Horne becomes first Black woman to have a Broadway theater named after her

By Marianne Garvey, CNN

A theater on Broadway has been officially renamed in honor of the late actress and civil rights activist Lena Horne.

Horne is the first Black woman to have a theater named in her honor.

The theater, on West 47th Street, was built in 1926 and was originally named the Mansfield Theatre. In 1960, it was renamed the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in honor of the late New York Times drama critic.

The theater has the original chandelier hanging inside after it was refurbished in 2000. It seats 1,069 and is one of The Nederlander Organization’s nine Broadway theaters.

An official celebration took place outside the theater Tuesday. The musical “Six” is currently playing at the theater.

Horne, who won multiple Tony and Grammy awards, was a trailblazing entertainer. She died in 2010.

Horne also starred in movies and on television. She got her start at the famed Cotton Club in Harlem when she was a teenager.

Learn more in the original article.

Horne’s success inspired some that change was underway while others argue that even media about Black entertainers is made for white viewers, making organizations such as The National Black Movie Association and African American Film Critics Association necessary.

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