The start date is the 55th anniversary of the passing of Dorothy Dandridge, aged just 42 from an accidental barbiturate overdose. She is highly worth celebrating as born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio her fame grew from singing in Baptist churches and her talent could not be ignored. She rose to ever greater fame as a performer and starred in Carmen Jones in 1954 and Porgy and Bess in 1959. She was Oscar-nominated for Carmen, the first African/American to achieve that for lead actress, which was acknowledged by the first to win that Oscar, Halle Berry, by her portrayal of Dandridge in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge in 1999. It is highly topical to celebrate her, as Dandridge endured serious racism even before the civil rights movement grew in strength. Hired as a star to perform in hotels in New York, Miami, Chicago and Las Vegas she was never allowed to stay in a hotel room and it is reported that one hotel even drained its swimming pool to stop her use of it. We believe a match should be held in her honour and hope you will accept.
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