Harry Belafonte gets a standing `O' at Penn

Although he graced his audience with an impromptu rendition of his popular song "Day-O," Harry Belafonte captivated his listeners more with his incredible devotion towards achieving human rights and a global dialogue than his vocal talents.

A diverse crowd of students, faculty and community members filled Irvine Auditorium last night to hear the renowned entertainer and human rights activist speak on a wide array of issues, including industry in America, slave reparations and social activism.

Belafonte was the second speaker brought to Penn this semester by the Social Planning and Events Committee's Connaissance branch, after writer Maya Angelou's speech last month.

In a speech that began with Belafonte's narration of his childhood during the Great Depression and ended with his plea for students to take a stand, Belafonte emphasized cultural dialogue and debate.

"There is more to me than just 'Day-O' and I don't say that disparagingly," Belafonte said.

Once having been "confident that we were on the right path," Belafonte is now "on a very special quest to try to understand where this nation is going and where this world is going."

Although many of the African-American leaders of Belafonte's era are now gone, those who are still alive "have begun to ask ourselves what happened," Belafonte said. "Where did we miss the boat?"

After the many advancements during the Civil Rights movement, Belafonte asked the audience to consider "what we are doing to this planet and what we are doing to each other."

During his 16 years of work as only the second American UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Belafonte has seen many countries destroyed by poverty. Recalling a "nine-year-old boy with an AK-47 demanding to see your passport" in one country, "it's mind boggling," Belafonte said.

Black students having once been inspired to activism by leaders like Belafonte's close friend Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. are now "being won by material possessions," Belafonte said. "Ask yourself as you go along the way, what has happened to my soul?"

In Belafonte's eyes, people must all realize that "the kind of genius that went into the organization" of events like Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a bus "wasn't an accident -- it was a choice."

Belafonte asked the audience to look to the words of King in the debate over terrorism and warfare after Sept. 11. As King said, "terrorism is the final utterance of the voice unheard" and people must have the courage to acknowledge what they have done to provoke hate, Belafonte said.

"We have a lot of questions to ask," Belafonte said. "And even if I don't bring solutions to the table, central to solution is debate and analysis."

Although Belafonte does not have a decisive solution to all of the problems he sees, he invited those who "decide to do something about all of this... to reach for me."

"It is also in your capacity... it is your moral responsibility," he said. "You are in fact the solution... it is your choices that will make the difference in where this nation goes."

An attentive audience enthusiastically laughed, applauded and nodded in agreement throughout Belafonte's speech, giving him a standing ovation at the close of his talk.

Whether familiar with Belafonte's civil rights work or his fame in the entertainment industry, those in attendance were captivated by Belafonte's words and accomplishments.

"I was inspired by his civil rights work, and to hear from him first-hand how he made tangible change was something that I valued tremendously," College sophomore Joshua Brown said.

"He is a voice for all of us to learn from," community member Angela McCloskey said. "He's not only talking, he's living it."

Belafonte's talk was organized by SPEC Connaissance in conjunction with many other campus groups including Maaku, the Black Student League, the African-American Resource Center, the Provost Spotlight Series, Tangible Change and La Casa Latina. It was held as part of the week-long Festival Latino celebration.

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