A SELFLESS MAN

Prior to viewing Mr. Harry Belafonte’s interview, I was not knowledgeable of his rich legacy. Mr. Harry is the son of two Caribbean born parents. Raised in New York, His upbringing was rather unorthodox. He and his family underwent many name changes in order to avoid attention from the government, in fear of being deported. According to the interview, Belafonte’s father seemed to be choosingly present, however Belafonte’s mother and grandmother served as pillars of strength and guidance for him. 

In the interview, Belafonte opened up with a comical quote. He entered the stage and told interviewer Danny Glover “If you run hard enough, and you run long enough, the wrinkles wont catch up with you.” I found this to be a very colorful expression considering this interview was my first impression of him. 

As I continued to watch the interview, I learned that Belefonte was not only a musical artist, but he was also an actor. He made many big screen appearances. Some of the films that  he acted in were: The Angel Levine(1970), Buck and the Preacher (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), The Player (1992), Kansas City (1996), Bobby (2006), and BlacKkKlansman (2018).

Another one of Mr. Harry’s many hats he wore was being a member of the United states Navy. While in the navy he was able to meet a variety of honorable men. His time spent in the navy was very impactful. He also felt a great deal of pride toward his contributions toward America. 

In my opinion, the most intriguing part of this interview was learning about Belefonte’s relationship with Dr. King and his contributions to the civil rights movement. Harry is a very selfless man, as he never hesitated to provide his resources where they were needed. He ended up becoming Dr. King’s next best man. Harry agreed to handle any financial burdens that King faced. He said that King was very modest and conscious of how people perceived him. He was very particular about accepting funds from people personally. All contributions were to be used for the sake of the movement. Harry on the other hand was able to provide financial resources for Dr. King and his family, while taking care of his own family at home. This was truly remarkable to me. He also assisted with the funding of SNCC. 

Mr. Harry Belafonte is truly a stand up guy.