Respect to Harry Belafonte
Respect to Harry Belafonte whose Soul transcended today after 96 years on Earth. Respect for listening to your conscience and not succumbing to selfish desires after achieving fame and fortune at a tender age. Your personal and career sacrifices for the cause of uplifting the Black Afrakan race will never be forgotten.
Harry Belafonte was an icon in the never-ending struggle for global Black freedom, equality and respect. He was born in New York in 1927 and moved to Jamaica shortly after where he resided for several years. On returning to America in his teens, he joined the US Navy and participated in the 2nd world war.
He was introduced to singing and acting through theater and fell in love with the Stage. In the early 1950s he began borrowing from Caribbean folk music and record several songs. By 1955 he had his first hit song on his hands and became the first singer to sell 1 million records. Soon he was acting in movies and major stage plays, becoming one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood.
Harry Belafonte became a superstar in an era when the Civil Rights movement in America was gaining momentum. He could have easily steered away from Activism and live a comfortable life in Hollywood smoozing with white people as their token Black friend like Sammy Davis JR and others but somehow to listened to his conscience and began using his celebrity status to fundraise for different Civil Rights causes.
He became a close associate of Martin Luther King JR and attended and spoke at several Civil Rights rallies including the 1963 march on Washington. After Martin Luther King JR was assassinated and the Civil Rights movement begam to plateau, Harry Belafonte continued his unwavering support of Civil Rights initiatives in America and worldwide. In the 1980s he travelled to South Africa to attended marched advocating for the release of Nelson Mandela.
Throughout the 2000s to present, he continued lending his voice and celebrity to numerous Civil Rights causes. The times may have changed from the days of blatant discrimination and racism but Harry Belafonte was always one to reiterate the fact that there is still much work to be done. He was the perfect example of a Black person who lived conscientiously by believing that none of us are free until all of us are free.
RIP Harry Belafonte.
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