The Daily OrangeFamed actor traces portrayal of blacks in media
By Kimberley Banjoko
Posted: 11/19/09, 1:53 AM EST Section: News
As Harry Belafonte remembers it, he's been working his entire life.
"When I stepped into this world and saw all this cruelty, I didn't curse it," he said. 'That was a death wish. Instead, I worked every day of my life to beat it."
Belafonte, a legendary musician and actor, lectured Tuesday evening in Goldstein Auditorium at Syracuse University. Belafonte discussed his heavy involvement in the Civil Rights movement and how he used his celebrity to break racial barriers during his multifaceted career that spanned more than four decades. The lecture, "Living Legend: Harry Belafonte," was hosted by the Black Communications Society.
As a World War II veteran, Belafonte looked for peace and equality when he returned home but was highly disappointed.
"I came back with great expectations, but I had no skills," he said. "I never had the opportunity to go to high school. So I worked as a janitor's assistant. I worked hard, and one day as a gratuity I was given two tickets to a theater. It was of great curiosity to see what this was about."
After returning home from the war, he attended the Dramatic Workshop at the New School with soon-to-be famous peers, like Marlon Brando.
"I was surrounded by so many greats, but I discovered in my naivety that there weren't many places for people of color," Belafonte said. "Hollywood would use us occasionally for roles that continued to portray Africans and people of African descent in menial, meaningless, witless ways.
Belafonte told the audience of his successful music career, detailing the way he stumbled into the industry. He remembered a man who had seen him sing in a play one night.
"He said to me 'I heard you sing, and you sing real good. Why don't you become a singer?' At the time, I have been listening to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, and so I told him, 'Me? Sing? What other jokes do you know?'"
The lack of work in theater at the time drove Belafonte into singing - a move that eventually saw his music selling millions of copies and brought him fame and fortune.
"When I stepped into this world and saw all this cruelty, I didn't curse it," he said. 'That was a death wish. Instead, I worked every day of my life to beat it."
Belafonte, a legendary musician and actor, lectured Tuesday evening in Goldstein Auditorium at Syracuse University. Belafonte discussed his heavy involvement in the Civil Rights movement and how he used his celebrity to break racial barriers during his multifaceted career that spanned more than four decades. The lecture, "Living Legend: Harry Belafonte," was hosted by the Black Communications Society.
As a World War II veteran, Belafonte looked for peace and equality when he returned home but was highly disappointed.
"I came back with great expectations, but I had no skills," he said. "I never had the opportunity to go to high school. So I worked as a janitor's assistant. I worked hard, and one day as a gratuity I was given two tickets to a theater. It was of great curiosity to see what this was about."
After returning home from the war, he attended the Dramatic Workshop at the New School with soon-to-be famous peers, like Marlon Brando.
"I was surrounded by so many greats, but I discovered in my naivety that there weren't many places for people of color," Belafonte said. "Hollywood would use us occasionally for roles that continued to portray Africans and people of African descent in menial, meaningless, witless ways.
Belafonte told the audience of his successful music career, detailing the way he stumbled into the industry. He remembered a man who had seen him sing in a play one night.
"He said to me 'I heard you sing, and you sing real good. Why don't you become a singer?' At the time, I have been listening to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, and so I told him, 'Me? Sing? What other jokes do you know?'"
The lack of work in theater at the time drove Belafonte into singing - a move that eventually saw his music selling millions of copies and brought him fame and fortune.
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posted 12/21/09 @ 2:17 PM EST
Belafonte is a great musician and actor.
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