- Politically liberal and involved in civil rights causes since the beginning of her career, she was blacklisted in the 1950's after appearing before the Senate's McCarran Committee. She then moved to Mexico and became the first black female musical television star there. She later moved to Europe to train to become a classical opera soprano and enjoyed some degree of success there.
- Black opera singer and stage performer who debuted the popular song "Lilac Wine" in the original Broadway production of the short-lived musical Dance Me A Song in 1950. The song was covered infrequently since but has achieved new popularity since being recorded in 1993 by Jeff Buckley, with the 2012 cover by Miley Cyrus expanding the song's exposure to audiences internationally.
- She was raised by a poor white couple in Middletown, CT but won a scholarship at age 14 to the Hartt School of Music in Hartford. Soon after, she was introduced to Paul Robeson, on whose career she modeled her own. They remained close friends until his death. After four years at the Hartt School, she won an audition for the Metropolitan Opera but when the scout came to the school and saw she was black, he would not even look her in the eye.
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