by Tony Best
On his 90th, Harry Belafonte reflected on his life, career and contributions to humanity for this newspaper and as usual, he was eloquent, thoughtful, accurate and sincere.
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“If there’s anything left for me to do, I had best hurry up and do it, because time is not an ally,” was the way he put it six years ago. So when time ran out on Tuesday and the news of his death flashed across America and around the world the sense of loss was palpable. Clearly, an icon of icons had passed away.
As one of the world’s best known and highly respected international figures of the stage, screen, music, television and of life whether in the rich United States or developing nations of Africa, Latin America or Africa the Caribbean and Africa, this global citizen, this creative genius and a man of conscience, understanding and vision whose support, financial and otherwise for the civil rights movement and global struggles for equality and justice has left an indelible mark on society. His interest in and support for the work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ambassador Andrew Young, Michael Manley of Jamaica, John Lewis and a long list of titans and golden trombones for freedom and self- determination in various corners of the globe placed America and the international community in his debt.
And as we contemplate life without him people in the U.S., the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and Europe, something is clear: the man who was born in Harlem, partially raised in his mother’s birthplace of Jamaica and who later used his immense talent and celebrity status to help
enhance the dignity of the less fortunate and improve the quality of their lives had climb the mountains with grace and verve.
“This last period of my life is absolutely fascinating to me,” he said some time ago. “I’m like, I’m outside looking at a story and I have no idea what’s on the next page –none.”
No need to worry. That’s because his story is a fascinating one. Armed with dreams and talent, a youthful Belafonte, whose mother Melvine, nee Love, a housekeeper, embraced the principle of self-reliance and dignity of Blacks as espoused by Marcus Garvey he leader of the largest mass movement of Blacks in 20th century America, rose to become the country’s first Black matinee idol.
His was an illustrious career. As a singer his music, including the immortal song, including “Day-O” topped the Billboard charts for almost a year in the 1950s, making history by being on the first album in the world ever to sell a million copies. The collection of Caribbean music broke new international cultural territory, if you will.
The revered figure routinely bucked the establishment in order to help remove the shackles of racism and colonialism. His starring role on the screen, including in the film “Island in the Sun,” a landmark movie that explored inter-racial relationships at a time in the 1950s when such romances were forbidden by law in some parts of the South in the United States cemented his place as one of the country’s leading entertainers. His appearances on Broadway were heralded as outstanding. That was why a glance through his trophy case showed the Tony and Emmy Awards and other coveted accolades that spoke to the high quality of his work.
But that’s only one dimension of his intriguing resume’. Belafonte, a raconteur of the first order, declined to sit in the bleaches as a spectator or stand on the sidelines as tens of thousands of young people and civil rights advocates took to the streets, the lunch counters and the picket lines to protest against widespread racial discrimination and inequity in the United States. He gave some of his resources and lent his name to the national cause of social justice. In the process, he linked arms with Dr. King, one of the greatest human and civil rights leaders and Ambassador Young, America’s first Black United Nations Ambassador to press for global fairness. His battle was our fight and it knew no bounds, helping to prick the collective American conscience and pave the way for the dramatic 2008 election victory of Barack Obama, the first Black commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful nation.
His cajoling of the powerful Kennedys, President John and his brother Robert, the Attorney General and later U.S. Senator from New York aided Dr. King’s drive for national legislation that opened the voting booths to Blacks and eliminated the abhorrent Jim Crow laws. And when the racist Klu-Klux Klan was at its most violent, he encouraged many of his Hollywood professional colleagues, Sidney Poitier among them, to back the movement against hate. His advocacy and financial support helped to keep the civil rights flame alive. “The March on Washington in the 1960s,” a signal undertaken, benefitted from that support.
Known for his forthrightness and abiding interest in social justice, Belafonte accurately chronicled much of his immense contribution to the social revolution in a well-written memoir, “My Song,” written with Michael Shnayerson, which has become required reading for many who want to make a difference.
His role as co-chair of the Women’s March in Washington and New York that attracted hundreds of thousands of people helped to send a strong message to Washington that extremism and misogynistic impulses wouldn’t be tolerated. What that successful public demonstration did was to underscore an interesting bit of reality: he had made his mark, sharing his wisdom, experience and drive with today’s younger generation of activists.
