Lessons from Harry Belafonte  Part 1

Harry Belafonte no longer sings. But he still talks, and the wisdom of his years is a beacon for us all.

We sat in quiet amazement as he spoke about his experiences as a civil rights activist with Martin Luther King, Andrew Young and others, and shared insights that we’d never known. His stories were rich in imagery, each communicating clear ideas, reflecting the depth of thinking and commitment they each felt toward the challenges they faced as African Americans, as Americans without color, as men trying build better lives for all Americans.

Two stories he recounted demonstrate the strength of their minds and their characters, and offer insights for all of us. The first one takes place in a hotel room in a southern city, where they are holding a strategy meeting. A lot of arguing was taking place with clear differences of opinions being expressed passionately. Harry looked up to see Martin standing alone, looking out from a window. He moved slowly to stand with Martin, careful not to disrupt his thoughts.

“Martin?” he asked, “You’re quiet today, and distant. What are you thinking?”

Martin shook his shoulders, bringing himself back into the moment. “I was just thinking. Here we are, striving with all we’ve got, to integrate ourselves into this society, and I cannot shake the thought that we might be integrating ourselves into a house afire.”

The nation was in the midst of very powerful internal strife, of which integration was just one of the issues. The Viet Nam war was dividing the nation, along with other issues.

“We’ll, Martin, if your fears are well founded, are we perhaps wasting our time and energies. What would our roles be if we were successful?”

“We would be the firemen.”