In Memoriam: Dorothy Dandridge

Lost in the tornado swirl of politics, let's take a moment to reflect that today marks the anniversary of the death of super-foxy Hollywood actress Dorothy Dandridge, who died of an accidental overdose on this date in 1965.

Okay, I'll admit it up front: After I saw her in 1954's Carmen Jones, I was madly in love with her.

Bear in mind that this was 1954 Oklahoma and most of my friends were aghast at this. I was, too. I was nine years old and I wasn't supposed to have "those kind" of feelings, let alone having them towards a "Negro".

But I did, and it broke my heart when I learned in 1965 that she had died.