Musician to reflect on race in media

The Black Communications Society is hosting a lecture event with legendary musician, actor, producer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte at 7 p.m. today in Goldstein Auditorium in Schine Student Center.

The student group organized "Living Legend: Harry Belafonte" in hopes of inspiring success in students. Belafonte is expected to chronicle his life and discuss issues of race in the media, said Shavon Greene, president of the Black Communications Society at SU. Tickets for the event are $4 at the Schine Box Office.

"The event is a tribute to him and all the work that he has done," Greene said. "This is a once in a lifetime event that will allow people to see and speak to someone of his caliber. I don't know anyone who has done the things he has done."

Students from SU and a local Syracuse high school will open the lecture with performances to honor Belafonte. He will then speak, and end the night with a question-and-answer session.

"This event is something for everyone, not just students of color," Greene said. "The representation of people who fit into any group that is not the majority, whether it be in regard to gender, sexuality, etc. The media really influences how we see other people, so it's important to balance out this misrepresentation."

Belafonte is most notable for his successful music career, which he actually began to help pay for acting lessons. His 1956 album, "Calypso," features many hits including the "Banana Boat Song," which mainstreamed calypso music, a form of Caribbean folk music.

He worked closely with Frank Sinatra, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Bob Dylan in his early days. Belafonte has received a Grammy for his albums "Swing Dat Hammer" (1960) and "An Evening With Harry Belafonte" (1965). He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2000 and achieved six Gold Records.

Belafonte was the first black performer to win an Emmy for his televised special "Tonight with Belafonte" in 1959. He has appeared in numerous films alongside Julie Andrews, John Travolta and other famous actors. He denied many movie roles, however, because of their negative portrayals and stereotyping of black people, Greene said.

He was also a civil rights activist. He helped Martin Luther King Jr.'s family financially and bailed King out of the Birmingham City Jail during the Civil Rights Movement. Belafonte was named the cultural advisor to the Peace Corps by former President John F. Kennedy.

kebanjok@syr.edu