Harry Belafonte, a beloved singer, actor and activist credited with introducing the United States to Caribbean music and bankrolling the Civil Rights Movement, died at his Manhattan home on Tuesday at 96, according to his publicist. “I’m playing a role that I feel equipped and I feel knowledgeable about,” Belafonte said in an interview at the time. Belafonte’s musical career took off shortly thereafter, becoming what he was known for. He spoke at the March on Washington in 1963, and financed the efforts of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a civil rights outfit led by then-activist John Lewis. But it was Belafonte’s platform as a beloved celebrity, rather than his wallet, that arguably proved to be his most potent contribution in the fight for civil rights.

Source: Huffington Post April 25, 2023 23:01 UTC