Florence Mills

Ms. Mills in costume when she performed in a skit called, 'Indian Habits' in the play Dixie to Broadway in London in 1926 ... and for those curious here is an FYI about the history of the swastika: The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used for over 3,000 years. (That even predates the ancient Egyptian symbol, the Ankh!) Artifacts such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy show that the swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1000 BC. During the following thousand years, the image of the swastika was used by many cultures around the world, including in China, Japan, India, and southern Europe. By the Middle Ages, the swastika was a well known, if not commonly used, symbol but was called by many different names: China (wan), England (fylfot), Germany (Hakenkreuz), Greece (tetraskelion and gammadion), India (swastika). Though it is not known for exactly how long, Native Americans also have long used the symbol of the swastika. The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good," "asti" meaning "to be," and "ka" as a suffix. Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck.

Florence Mills (1896 - 1927), was never captured on film and her voice was never recorded. Just two of the factors why, with each successive generation, Florence Mills always remains on the verge of being forgotten. Yet, there's something in the collective consciousness of black America that refuses to totally forget her. In the 1920's, she was the biggest star, period! She conquered home and all of Europe, too! Famous authors like Evelyn Waugh included her as characters in some of their most well-known books! She was the first Negro woman to appear in the pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair! Her voice was high and birdlike. She was a small, petite woman with a winsome, wide-eyed beauty. Known as The Little Blackbird, she was most effervescent on stage with her high-kickin', tireless and high octane performances. Harlem was home to Mills, and there she reigned as The Queen. Imagine the horror, when after a grueling, whirlwind tour of England, Mills returned home gravely ill with appendicitis. Her death, a month later at the age of 31, set off an outpouring of love and grief, memory and flowers, affection and music that Harlem had ever seen. Her body lay in state for a week in the chapel of the Howell Undertaking Parlors at 137th & Seventh Ave., and her funeral at Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church attracted an estimated 5000 mourners. Numerous accounts suggest that at least 150,000 people lined the streets outside while hundreds of blackbirds were released by helicopter above.

Source: www.florencemills.com/