Nearly two decades later, Buckley was married and later divorced from film and television director Sidney Lumet, with whom she raised their two daughters. She then resumed her journalism career as a freelance writer, contributing to The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily News, and Vogue.

In 1986, Buckley became a published author when she wrote her first book, “The Hornes: An American Family,” chronicling her family history after finding hundreds of artifacts dating back six generations.

“It all unfolded like a detective story — here is what was happening in 1875, there’s what went on in 1895,” she told The Los Angeles Times when the book was published. “And then to read Black American history, as I did extensively, and put that on top of it; that’s an exciting experience.”

Jenny Lumet

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