Under the baobab: Belafonte was defender of the oppressed, advocate for freedom fighters

The brightest star in the firmament of freedom has been dimmed. After 96 years, singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte has joined the ancestors. Back in the ‘50s Belafonte almost single-handedly brought Calypso into world music. He won two Grammys for his efforts. He was the first African American man to be awarded a Tony on Broadway and an Emmy for his pioneering TV show. But it was as an activist in civil rights and the anti-apartheid struggle that he made his most indelible mark.

He was a co-organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Rev. Martin Luther King made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Belafonte helped gather dozens of Hollywood stars like Sidney Portier, Lena Horne, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Marlon Brando and Charlton Heston to the march. He became the last survivor among the celebrities on that podium.

Along with Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson he helped organize the recording session for “We Are The World,” a benefit recording for famine relief in Africa. Directed by Jones, the recording featured 45 music stars including Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross. He was a tireless activist who protested for an end to apartheid in South Africa and a supporter and friend of its first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela.

I first met Mr. Belafonte when he and Dick Gregory came to support our efforts to register voters during Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964. Later in the ‘90s I produced the ceremony at New York’s Schomburg Center for African American Culture, where he was presented the James Weldon Johnson Award. Professor Tony Leach and Essence of Joy were also part of that ceremony. While there, he asked if I would perform in a tribute to Paul Robeson’s 100th birthday at Carnegie Hall. The performance had a distinguish cast: Muhammad Ali, F. Murray Abraham, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Pete Seeger, Alfre Woodard, Whoopi Goldberg and others. In fact, the only name on the program I didn’t recognize was mine.

He never hesitated to speak truth to power. He was a defender of the oppressed and chief advocate for those who fought for freedom. After his passing, President Biden said that he was a “groundbreaking American who used his talent and voice to help redeem the soul of our nation ... Harry Belafonte’s accomplishments are legendary and his legacy of outspoken advocacy, compassion and respect for dignity will endure forever.” He was my friend and my mentor. All lovers of freedom stand on his shoulders. ... Uhuru Babu.

Around town

Congratulations to Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. She received the 2023 Immigrant Achievement Award from the American Immigration Council. It is awarded to an “individual or organization that exhibits a commitment and dedication to America’s heritage as a nation of immigrants and advocacy for humane immigration policy.”

And Justin Schwartz, serving since August as interim, has been named permanent executive vice president and provost of Penn State.

The Unity Church of Jesus Christ, under the leadership of Pastor Harold McKenzie and his wife Sherren, celebrated its 40th anniversary this past weekend. Festivities culminated with a well-attended banquet at the Graduate Hotel and special service on Sunday. The Sock and Buskin Theatre Company presented a hilarious production of “Moon Over Buffalo” directed by Stefanie Austin and featuring Michael and Laura Waldhier at the newly reopened Boal Barn.

During the annual Afrotopia Fete, Prof. Grace Hampton and her husband M. Nadhir ibn Muntaka presented the first annual iPHET Humanitarian Award.

And State College’s Community Oversight Review Board members, Cynthia Young, Vilmos Misangyi, Barbara Pacheco and Ron Madrid, held a public conversation on State College Area School District school resource officers for about 50 community members at Schlow Centre Region Library last Thursday. There was a lively discussion about the role of SROs.

Charles Dumas is a lifetime political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for U.S. Congress in 2012.