Such sad news: LONG LIVE THE MEMORY OF THE GREAT HARRY BELAFONTE WHO MADE HIS TRANSITION AT 96

 By Gloria DULAN-Wilson

Hello All!

 

 

 

Wow, I just had the breath knocked out of me.  Another Icon has left our midst - the great Harry Belafonte has made his transition to the realm of the Ancestor/Angels.  Over the past two weeks my brother friend Kwame Brathwaite, and Attorney at War Alton Maddox have made their transitions.  

 

And now our beloved Harry Belafonte!  

Harry Belafonte was born a Fine Black Man and Died the Same way - He never aged

It seems as though i've known him all my life - though I only had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with him about four or five times over the course of my short existence.  Short that is compared to his.  The first time I saw Harry Belafonte, I was about five years old.  My Mom, Ruby Love, had won our very first TV in a supermarket raffle, and I was fascinated to see him on TV singing DAY-O!     He was the first Black man I saw on TV.  Nat King Cole and Amos n Andy were my second and third. 

 

I grew up on watching that FINE BLACK MAN!   Even at the tender age of five, I couldn't overlook how handsome he was.  I loved his voice, and his accent.  He spoke in kind of a whisper.  One of my favorite memories was watching him and Leta Mbulu (from South Africa) do a song "A Hole In the Bucket," a song whose lyrics I remember vividly to this day.  There were so many Belafonte memories over the next twenty years.  I saw all of his movies, had his albums which I enjoyed listening to over the years - so much so that I shared them with my children when they came along.

Belafonte was like family to so many Black people - including my family - who came to identifiy with him over the years.  Whenever he was on TV, we'd call each other to make sure that we didn't miss him.  He was also one of the first Black stars to co-star with caucasoids in a series of movies - including his own production, "Odds Against Tomorrow," with Robert Ryan and Ed Begley.  "Island in The Sun," with Michael Rennie, Dorothy Dandridge and Joan Fontaine is another favorite of mine. 

But even more than that was the stand he took to help the great South African singer, Miriam Makeba, gain asylum in the US during the oppressive apartheid government's efforts to restrict/imprison her for her epochmaking activist films against their racist regime.  Until then, most of us were not aware of the atrocities going on there.  

I remember watching his daughter, Shari Belafonte, who could have been his twin, during her TV series.  They were both so dynamic and charismatic.  There were some hiccups in his personality - but most of us looked past that to the overall fact that Belafonte was a champion for Black people.

But the thing I admired the most about Belafonte was his activism, support of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., helping with the March on Washington, and other ways of making sure he was using his celebrity and largesse to help Black people.  I had the distinct honor of meeting him during one of the demonstrations that included Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and so many other Black artists.  

 

Harry Belafonte and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr before the March on Washington, 1963

This year would be the 60th Anniversary of Harry Belafonte's speech at the History March on Washington:

 

 https://youtu.be/CulSHgZ80DY 

Harry Belafonte, along with other artists such as Sammy Davis Jr., Sidney Poitier, Ossie Davis and wife Ruby Dee, gathered with Dr. King at the White House for truth, justice, economic parity.  (Sadly I did not paricipate - but helped several of my Oklahoma Classmates - including my then boyfriend -  who chartered a bus to make the trip to DC and participate in history.   I was just getting ready to go to college, and my funds were either for the March or college - I chose college.  But I proudly watched the entire event on Television shortly before leaving for Hampton Institute in Virginia). 

After what appeared to be a hiatus from acting, he played Geechee Dan and teamed up with Bill Cosby, Ossie Davis, Sidney Poitier, Calvin Lockhart (super fine Calvin Lockhart)  in one of the funniest classic Black comedies ever - Uptown Saturday Night (1974),  which, as it turns out, was written by comedic genius Richard Wesley - who later mentored me in some of my writing.  One of my other Belafonte favorites, BUCK AND THE PREACHER, took on the relationship between freed Black slaves and Native Americans, in what could have been set in my home state of Oklahoma just after the unCivil War.  Belafonte was comedic magic with co-star the late Sidney Portier, who recently made his transition. 

Harry Belafonte exemplified how a Black artist can have a positive impact and influence on his fan base by participating in and supporting events that are relevant to us all.  His movies were mostly positive and uplifting, which endeared him to us all. I was always amazed at how he never seemed to age, and was still as fine as I first remembered him on television as a kid.  With so many caucasoids trying erase our legacies, I truly hope we will all honor the memory and legacy of the great HARRY BELAFONTE.  Do yourselves a favor:  instead of watching the who-hate-who movies that are flooding Netflix, HULU, etc., take some time out and watch a true genius at work:

Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge in 1954 the Sultry, Sexy, Musical CARMEN JONES

CLICK ON THE LINKS TO THE FOLLOWING MOVIES:

UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT - 1974 - HARRY BELAFONTE, BILL COSBY, SIDNEY POITIER, OSSIE DAVIS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmpt502R_ZM

BUCK AND THE PREACHER  1972  HARRY BELAFONTE, SIDNEY POITIER, RUBY DEE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ6eALVlYjk&list=PLOelXXmDiDinLPoeXw-_fIaVhmNomPfKC

 

BUCK & THE PREACHER: L-R Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier

 

CARMEN JONES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gly73uDn98M 

NOTE: (I APOLOGIZE FOR THE COMMENTARY ON THIS YOUTUBE VERSION - I'm so glad I got mine on VIDEO TAPE before they started cannabalizing our classics via digital - and then charging you to watch them - some days, theere's nothing like Old School - SMH

 

Again my condolences to his family, fans, friends and the entire Black community on the transition of a true giant.  We must keep his legacy and the legacies of so many of our Black artists out of the hands of caucasoid racists, and make sure our children, peers, and other honor and respect all that they have contributed to this country.

 

ATTACHED BELOW IS PRESIDENT BIDEN'S CONDOLENCES ON THE TRANSITION OF THE LATE, GREAT HARRY BELAFONTE:

April 25, 2023   Statement from President Joe Biden on the Passing of Harry Belafonte Jill and I are saddened by the passing of a groundbreaking American who used his talent, his fame, and his voice to help redeem the soul of our Nation.    Harry Belafonte was born to Caribbean parents in Harlem, New York on March 1, 1927, when segregation was the order of American society.  To our Nation’s benefit, Harry never accepted those false narratives and unjust boundaries.  He dedicated his entire life to breaking barriers and bridging divides.   As a young man motivated to find his purpose, he became mesmerized by theater when he saw a performance of the American Negro Theater in Manhattan.  As one of America’s original breakthrough singers and performers, he would go on to garner a storehouse of firsts—the first Black matinee idol, the first recording artist to sell over a million records, the first Black male Broadway actor to win a Tony award, the first Black producer to win an Emmy award, and one of the highest paid entertainers of his time, among other accolades.   But he used his fame and fortune for the public good throughout his extraordinary career. He became a powerful ally of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other giants of the Civil Rights Movement. He raised money and donated resources to post bail for activists jailed for acts of civil disobedience. He provided the critical funds to launch the Freedom Rides.    He lobbied against apartheid in South Africa, for the release of Nelson Mandela, and was one of the visionaries behind “We Are the World,” an innovative record released to raise millions of dollars to support humanitarian aid in Sudan and Ethiopia.  For these and other humanitarian and artistic efforts he was conferred with a Kennedy Center Honor, the National Medal of the Arts, and a Grammy lifetime achievement award.     Harry Belafonte’s accomplishments are legendary and his legacy of outspoken advocacy, compassion, and respect for human dignity will endure.  He will be remembered as a great American.   We send our deepest condolences to his family and legions of admirers across the country and the world.   ###

 

NOW THAT YOU KNOW

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Gloria DULAN-Wilson