Harry Belafonte

A Reason to Smile

This past week we lost a gifted talent with the courage to use his renown and resources to stand up for racial justice. 

Harry Belafonte was a meteoric star, and it might be difficult for those born after his heyday to understand how transformational he was. He exploded onto the American entertainment scene in the 1950s, attaining a level of fame and fortune that was unprecedented for a Black person in the United States. He was handsome, dapper, and a consummate performer. His very existence challenged the pervasive legal and social racism that existed at the time. 

The son of West Indian immigrants, Belafonte was born in Harlem but seemed to be a citizen of the world. His music crossed boundaries and infused popular culture with the possibilities that lie beyond our parochialisms. 

If Belafonte were only an artist of the highest caliber, that itself would have been a life of accomplishment. But he was a man who could not abide injustice. His participation in the civil rights movement, beginning with an early friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was integral to its success. Belafonte did not waver and did not back down. When civil rights leaders were arrested, it was often Belafonte who bailed them out of jail. 

I had the good fortune to meet Belafonte on several occasions, and what struck me were his decency and quiet resolve. We would talk about the civil rights battles of the past and the struggles of the present and future. His passion for a better America never wavered. 

It is no surprise that the tributes to this American hero poured forth in the wake of his death. He will be dearly missed. But in his music and the example of his leadership we can find continued inspiration for hope and many reasons to smile. 

Here are but a few of his many hits: 

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