Harry Belafonte: I saw in him [Martin Luther King, Jr.] the model. I was wide open to violence. I had come from it, I had lived in it all my life and quite prepared to apply it at any given moment if my turf was invaded.
Roland S. Martin: You had a lot of that anger boiled up inside of you.
Harry Belafonte: Yeah. The anger’s still there incidentally because at Dr. King’s instruction, he thought anger was a very, very important tool. He said, ‘We first need to be angry at our plight before we will act upon changing our condition’. So, anger’s a little necessary force. It’s not so much that you’re angry, it’s what you do with your anger that finally determines the importance of anger. And, what I saw in him, was a chance to use non-violence as a weapon to change the conditions in which we lived.
-Harry Belafonte on Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with journalist Roland S. Martin, 2012
Dallas Public Library, Martin Luther King Jr. Branch, Mural by Henry Howard
The calm dignity and grace of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the face of racism is a unique form of protest. His legacy is legendary because his compassion was bigger than life. I am first generation integration in my family and, therefore, I embody his dream which is a major responsibility.
The racism, bigotry, bias, and prejudice I have experienced are a different variety than in Rev. King’s day because they are the growing pains of this nation. Unwinding each day from memories of bigotry and unfairness is mental torture and can cause great anger. So much of what I experienced was a direct attempt to render me helpless and hopeless. To sabotage my education and employment, thus my ability to eat and house myself. Channeling that anger without fear of stereotype to fight racism is pushing against the threat of poverty and indignity; the threat to life sustaining food, water, and shelter in this capitalist society that puts a price tag on survival. The threat against being devalued as human beings. Yet, we will continue to thrive.
Have a Pleasant Day
-Rae Pleasant
