Harry Belafonte in Memoria
Actor, singer, and activist Harry Belafonte passed away earlier this month at the age of 96. Born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr in 1927 in Harlem, New York, he was the son of Jamaican immigrants of Scottish, Dutch-Jewish, and African descent. He grew to love theater and music, studying the folk song archives at the US Library of Congress and acting through the American Negro Theater with fellow Caribbean-American actor Sidney Poitier. LOC does have a short interview from 2017 with Mr. Belafonte, found here, when his album “Calypso” was added to the LOC archives. New York Public Libraries has a piece about his experience at the American Negro Theater, found here.
Besides his artistic ventures, Harry was also an integral part of the US Civil Rights Movement as well as many other activism ventures. AXIOS has a piece about the importance of his art to his activism, found here, and The Guardian discusses his legacy here. Finally, PBS NewsHour’s video obituary summarizes many important parts of his life which can be used as jumping off points for further research and discussion. Find that here.