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Harry Belafonte Reflects on Life as a Singer, Actor and Activist [1]
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Date: 2011-11-14 18:50:00-04:00
HARRY BELAFONTE:
I was an activist who became an artist.
And my activism really started the day of my birth, born from immigrant parents in New York City. My mother was overwhelmed by America. She came here with hopes and ambitions that were never fulfilled. And she was bringing children into the world at an age that was much too young.
And although she stayed the course and treated us with great dignity and care, it overwhelmed her. And she took us back to the West Indies to have us raised by the village and the family that she grew up in. And at the — in 1939, I came back. And during that time, there was a lot of talk about white supremacy and Hitler and democracy, and America was mobilizing for this great campaign.
And the whole world was caught up in it. And we were listening to people Paul Robeson and Dr. Du Bois and others speaking about the black relationship to this world struggle. And I was just filled with this stuff in our community. So it was nothing to walk down the street any day and see Robeson or Joe Louis or Dr. Du Bois in Harlem.
So, our role models were always there. And by the time I came up on the idea of being an artist, I brought with me this mission of activism. And what attracted me to the arts was the fact that I saw theater as a social force, as a political force. I kind of felt that art was a powerful tool and that's what I should be doing with mine.
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[1] Url:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/harry-belafonte-reflects-on-life-as-a-singer-actor-and-activist
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