Over the weekend, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held their annual Governors Awards event. Legendary activist and actor, Harry Belafonte, received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and made a declarative speech about race in Hollywood and America.
The performing arts maverick, born in 1927, was introduced by Susan Sarandon and Chris Rock. Awarded periodically by the Academy, the ceremony celebrated Belafonte’s outstanding contribution to humanitarian causes. From his close confidante status to Martin Luther King, Jr. to his outspokenness against the George W. Bush administration, Belafonte reflected on the power of cinema to foment racial tensions within the Black community.
Citing such films as D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation
forwp-incontent-custom-banner ampforwp-incontent-ad2">Chris Rock remarked that he “would not be here today if it were not for Harry Belafonte.†Meanwhile, Susan Sarandon called him the “ultimate example of a great artist and a lifelong social activist.†We here at Black Enterprise regard Harry Belafonte an influential piece of culture that continues to astound and amaze.
Watch his fiery 12-minute speech about race and Hollywood below:
SOURCE: USA Today