I’m Wishing You All an Uncomfortable Black History Month
A riveting and rewarding read even if you can't name any of Belafonte's songs
Last week if you’d asked me who Harry Belafonte was, I probably would have guessed he was a singer. If you ask me now, I’ll say he is a brilliant man with passion for the arts and a creative fighter for human rights.
One of my favorite stories about Belafonte takes place in 1958 when he and his wife found an apartment they wanted to rent on New York’s Upper West Side. When they let the building manager know they were interested, it was no longer available. Belafonte asked a white friend to go see about renting the apartment and the place was suddenly available again. Belafonte’s friend took a copy of the lease and got Belafonte’s signature on it, turned it in, and Belafonte and his wife, Julie Robinson, moved in.
The building manager was not pleased to see he was renting to a black man (Robinson was white). Belafonte and Robinson were told they needed to pack their things and get out of the building, but Belafonte knew he had a year to work with since he’d signed a one-year lease.
He created three “dummy” real estate companies that engaged in a bidding war to buy the building. The owner of the building accepted the highest bid and Belafonte bought the building. He then turned it into a co-op, which meant any tenants who wanted to could buy their units and those who didn’t could continue renting.
As owner of the building, Belafonte wanted to offer housing to others who might have experienced discrimination in their search for housing. Lena Horne moved into the penthouse suite, and Belafonte’s favorite bass player, Ron Carter, who was also black, moved into the building, too.
Belafonte’s scheme cost $2 million, but it worked. Throughout his memoir, My Song, which was published last year, there are stories like this that show the determination and ingenuity of this talented artist to fight racism and other prejudice. I’ve never read a celebrity memoir before and I probably would never have read this one if I didn’t live in Germany.
Last week I met with a German woman who is the Director of the German-American Institute in Nuremberg. She set up a talk for Black History Month and a reading from Belafonte’s book. From what I understand, Belafonte has a strong following here in Germany. My job is to select passages to read aloud from the book in which his fans can hear stories of the Civil Rights movement from the point of view of someone they “know” and admire.
I know many have strong views about whether or not there should be such a thing as Black History Month. Black history should be integrated into other sorts of history or other sorts of history should be integrated into black history and all aspects of history should be given their due year round. Still, I’m glad to have been invited to help with this particular Black History Month event. Without it, I might never have known more about Belafonte than that he was probably a singer. Now he is a huge inspiration to me: a creative thinker who isn’t afraid to keep demanding more. We all need to keep demanding more.
As Belafonte puts it:
All of us pushing for integration would have to do more than hold a rally now and then. Without an active mass movement to make the government truly uncomfortable, our elected leaders would not do anything—not because they didn’t want to do something, but because they needed political pressure to make decisions that many of their constituents would resent. (My Song 196-197)
I appreciate Belafonte’s reminder that we all need to work to remind each other of the discomfort we should be feeling regarding current injustices. What does and should make us uncomfortable today? What will this discomfort inspire us to do?
I’m always bemused by white people’s discomfort with Black History Month. “We don’t need it because Racism doesn’t exist anymore.” Or “Look we have a black president!” I think Black History Month is uncomfortable because it’s a month long reminder to EVERYONE that the country whose genesis begins with liberty and freedom for all then became a super power on slave labor. It’s better if we all forget and pretend that things are better now.
Shira – as always, you jump in feet first, which is scary and brave. I’ve been looking longingly at flights to Germany.
Monet, the lines you remind us of here that people so easily and often say: “Racism doesn’t exist anymore” Or “Look we have a black president!” are exactly what Jake Adam York was talking about in the part of his interview I was just editing. York has some interesting things to say about race and why we can’t “forget and pretend that things are better now.” I hope you like the interview when it comes out in WS. Do you know his work?
And I’m looking forward to your visit to Germany! We are fixing a room up just for you.
I don’t know York, but you better believe I’m going to get to know him.
Sweet.
“We all need to keep demanding more.”
Yeah. We do.
Sam, I love your “won’t back down” spirit. You’re another one of my inspirations.
It’s so interesting that you mention how big Harry Belafonte is in Germany. The same is true in Sweden. I was surprised how people my age did not know about Belafonte when I first came to the states. My parents are huge fans, as are many in their generation, but he’s a known icon to my generation too. As is Sammy Davis, Jr. He’s also super famous in Sweden because at one time he was married to a Swedish actress (May Britt).
My dad, a great jazz fanatic, explained that during the 50s and 60s, many of the black singers would rather tour northern Europe than the US. Not because there wasn’t rampant racism in those countries–there was–but segregation laws did not exist. Entertainers like Davis and Belafonte, who had Caucasian wives, toured often. Consequently, they are huge in Europe, even now. As is Lena Horne.
Until we had that discussion, I didn’t think much about the difference between dealing with racism and dealing with racism combined with segregation. I don’t know why I didn’t, but for my seventeen self that talk was one of those “ohhhhh” moments.
So yeah, “We all need to keep demanding more” because some of us were a little dense as teenagers and some teenagers still are. We need Black History Month to not forget what used to be and to celebrate contribution to the arts and other areas by people who were not properly recognized during their time.
This is really interesting, Asa. I hadn’t realized how many American jazz artists had huge followings in Europe. I like your argument for why we need Black History Month: “to not forget what used to be and to celebrate contribution to the arts and other areas by people who were not properly recognized during their time.” I wonder if there are people who wouldn’t be convinced by your reasoning. I sure am convinced. The Jews are big on rituals to help us remember. This practice of finding ritualistic ways to remember is part of my heritage.
Right after we had this (Bark) conversation last week, I watched the Independent Lens THE BLACK POWER MIX TAPES, which kind of blew my mind. Danny Glover produced this show, but it’s all footage that was taken by a Swedish TV crew during the late 60s and early 70s. Often books are a way for me to get a different perspective about things I already know, or things I never knew it’s vital I know about. This show was like that. I am too young to have seen this on TV in Sweden, but the angle which they chose to present life of Blacks in America is so interesting. Your Harry Belafonte is included. Apparently, he accompanied Dr. King on a visit to the Swedish King. Check it out: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/black-power-mixtape/
Great passage i also assumed he was just another musician. I think black history month makes Caucasians uncomfortable because there is still alot of racism one of the biggest benefits of having a black president is as many who claim to not be raceist may usually do a good job holding there tounges but having one with power superior to any other single white man in the country pushes them over the edge and those feelings that people like to tell themselves don’t exist anymore come to surface. And in many cases the prejudiced in not hate its just a lack of personal experience due to not living in racially mixed enviorments. I was visiting Maine right outside of Portland and drinking a couple brews round a fire and an acquaintance of my wife who was a ” turf guy” in the sense he’d done a couple bids in the pen leveled with me and said we don’t dislike black people but were scared cause we don’t know wut to make of them. Not just Maine in most States its chocolate city and vanilla subburbs.
I agree with you, Seth, about why so many Caucasians are uncomfortable with Black History Month and other reminders of continuing racism. That is such an interesting story about the guy in Maine. I’m impressed that he was willing to be so forthcoming about his lack of understanding and subsequent fear of black people.
We’re reading poetry for Black History Month and the students are putting their own world poetry anthologies together. So far I am amazed at the powerful socio-political poems they’ve been drawn to. What impresses me most is that they have not shied away from the truly hard and poignant material. It seems the more uncomfortable these 20-somethings are, the more they move towards dialogue. Please let me know when York’s interview comes out in WS. Miss you here on the 4th floor…so glad I get to listen to you every Tuesday via the blog.
Toni! It’s so good to hear from you. I miss you and am eager to hear more about what you are doing for Black History Month. For instance, I’m very curious to know more about the assignment you gave the students and and also some of the poems they’ve included in their anthologies.