![]() ![]() He was a steady voice for justice who could be counted on to unflinchingly and presciently raise issues with urgency and directness. Harry Belafonte, the trailblazing singer, actor, and civil rights icon, died this week at 96. “We all knew who Harry Belafonte was,” she said with a big smile. Luckily, the good reverend brought along some friends. They were thrilled. Then a preacher showed up. “But us kids thought it was King, this dog, who was on tv,” she recalled, referring to a popular show about a crime-fighting Alaskan malamute. “King is coming!” their families were told, which the adults understood to mean Martin Luther. In 1965, she was among a group of young children being prepped to join the many protests planned against the state violence now known as Bloody Sunday. One of the funniest anecdotes I ever collected while reporting on civil rights was from Joanne Bland, then the founder of a small voting rights museum in Selma, Ala. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |