New York State Honoring and Celebrating Harry Belafonte

We are delighted that Governor Hochul made the announcement at the New York Caribbean Carnival, that the State of New York will be granting scholarships in the name of Harry Belafonte,  that icon of entertainment, civil rights, human rights freedom fighter and humanitarian. We welcome the gesture of Governor Hochul, and see it as a start in the recognition of this great man and what he has done for the country, the world, and indeed, New York State.   

But the contribution of Harry Belafonte, as some have stated over the years, needs to be recognized not just in some symbolic gesture, but in some permanency that would represent his true, full contribution  to the world. And there is the knowledge that too few institutions of Advanced Education have been named for black heroes and black heroines, and whenever opportunities present itself to correct

that, that opportunity should be grasped. One such opportunity, we think, and has been mentioned over time with the notion that the Performing Center at Purchase College in Westchester is an ideal institution that should carry the name of someone such as Harry Belafonte. 

It could easily be the Harry Belafonte Performing Center at Purchase and it would represent to the students the magnitude of the man who has adopted the motto of Paul Robeson to the point that the artist is the gatekeeper to society. In the traditional art world there is the entire structure as endorsed Art – Art As the gateway artist, as gate keepers of society, scholars, curators, museum collectors, critics and art galleries are all in one opinion that the art, the artist is the gatekeeper and that their opinions are critical to the advancement of a society. 

And s,o when we have these institutions of excellence like the Performing Arts  Center, Purchase College, it is important that it has a vision and a mission that ties performance and the visual arts to the greater good of society.  

That is what Harry Belafonte stands for and that is what New York State knows as an opportunity to do. It would be wonderful to rename the entire campus – The Harry Belafonte College. Why? Because 48% of the graduates are in the visual and performing arts program and another12% in the communication and journalism related subjects. So more than 60% of the graduates are in the critical part of shaping the vision  and the arts that we will come to understand and appreciate as a society.

And so we are urging Governor Hochul to take the next step in the recognition of this great man. He has done a lot for the world, the country, and he has done quite a bit of work for New York State. He headed the Martin Luther King Commission for years, that worked to bring peace, normalcy and understanding among all elements of this State of New York and was close to working throughout the State with Governor Cuomo. 

He led several delegations when there were frictions between different groups within the State, and the Commission on the Harry Belafonte leadership stepped in to help to bring about understanding and peace. And so it would be fitting that his work and his mission, his contribution, be a guiding principle for the State of New York and its higher education program, particularly the program in the visual and performing arts at Purchase. 

That it should bear his name and that his effort, legacy, philosophy, humanitarianism. Philanthropy is embedded in the culture of what artists stand for and what artists should strive for. 

So Governor Hochul, we are thankful for the scholarships, and urge that we move to the next step where We know that Harry Belafonte would be pleased that he is celebrated in the area that he has used and leveraged to be an impact, and it’s not just ceremonial, but has its impact in an ongoing way on society. 

Let’s move to the task.