In May 1963, amidst the civil rights protests shaking Birmingham, Alabama, Harry Belafonte, a prominent singer, actor, and activist, was at a Manhattan cocktail party reproaching the U.S. attorney general at that time. “You might think you’re doing enough,” he told Robert F. Kennedy, “but you don’t live with us or even witness our suffering.” Belafonte had many honest and intense discussions with Kennedy. In fact, during the civil rights era, he was closely acquainted with several key figures.
He was a trusted advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. and collaborated with Ahmed Sékou Touré, the president of Guinea. He financially supported grassroots activists from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in their fight against segregation and organized a delegation of Hollywood stars for the March on Washington. Alongside his friend and sometimes rival, actor Sidney Poitier, Belafonte delivered funds to civil rights volunteers in Greenwood, Mississippi, despite being closely monitored by the Ku Klux Klan. Belafonte, who passed away on April 25, 2023, at the age of 96, was a distinctive figure in the history of the Black freedom struggle in the United States.
No other entertainer was as deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and no other activist operated at so many levels of American politics. His influence in advocating for justice stemmed from his celebrity status. On stage, Belafonte was mesmerizing, exuding charisma. Wearing body-fitting shirts with his chest bared and tight silk pants showcasing metal rings on his belt, he was alluring. Women were captivated. He achieved tremendous success. In 1957, Belafonte sold more records than Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Unlike Sinatra’s timeless pop or Presley’s emerging rock ‘n’ roll, Belafonte, the son of West Indian/Caribbean immigrants, spurred a brief craze for calypso music with hits like “Day O” and “Jamaica Farewell.” He adapted ethnic folk music for wide appeal, including “Hava Nagila,” a Jewish celebration song, as part of his repertoire.
He also starred in Hollywood films such as “Bright Road” (1953) and “Carmen Jones” (1954). “Island in the Sun,” released in 1957, stirred controversy. Although he never kissed his white co-star, Joan Fontaine, in the film, it explored interracial romance. Southern censors banned it. Belafonte navigated the taboos of race and sex. This exceptionally attractive Black man captivated primarily white audiences, though his light skin and facial features reduced the perceived threat. As a performer, he pushed racial boundaries gently. “Harry Belafonte stands at the peak of one of the remarkable careers in U.S. entertainment,” announced Time magazine in a 1959 cover story. He had come a long way from a childhood split between Harlem and Jamaica and from serving in the Navy and struggling as an actor. By then, he earned about US$750,000 a year, with a lucrative residency at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. That celebrity status connected Belafonte with Martin Luther King, Jr. The civil rights leader called him in 1956 during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Soon, Belafonte became a part of the movement.
He embraced nonviolence, following King, and as their friendship grew, Belafonte came to understand the burdens King carried: the weight of leadership and the fear of assassination. Belafonte purchased a 21-room apartment on West End Avenue in Manhattan. “Martin would come to think of it as his home away from home, staying with us on many of his New York trips,” Belafonte recalled in his autobiography, “My Song.” “At times, he brought two or three of his closest advisers, and by the mid-sixties, the apartment became one of the movement’s headquarters.” It served as a venue for both strategic planning and relaxation, where they shared stories and enjoyed Harveys Bristol Cream. Ironically, despite being a public figure, much of Belafonte’s work took place in private. In the 1960s, he was a vital link between King and the SNCC. Not only did he fund young militant activists, but he also listened to their concerns, respected their organizing efforts, and communicated their perspectives to influential figures.
This responsibility to represent the movement led Belafonte to reproach Bobby Kennedy in May 1963. Throughout the early 1960s, he voiced his frustration with the attorney general’s distance from the activists’ struggle. However, over time, he came to value Kennedy’s transformation as he became a U.S. senator and emerged as an advocate for the poor, racial minorities, and “The Other America.” In February 1968, Belafonte famously hosted “The Tonight Show” for a week, using his platform to highlight Black perspectives and shed light on social injustice. His guests included King, who was about to start his Poor People’s Campaign, and Kennedy, whom Belafonte encouraged to run for president. Tragically, within months, both men were assassinated.