Fiery Facts About Harry Belafonte, The Hollywood Rebel
In these days of social media and fast traveling news, celebrities often navigate the world carefully, thinking twice about what they say in public.
But long before this was a concern, Harry Belafonte used his platform to make surprisingly divisive and consistently unapologetic statements. Maybe he was just born bold—or maybe his own life of adversity taught him to speak without fear.
1. His Parents Faced Hardships
Belafonte was born in Harlem, New York, in 1927. Like many immigrants, his Jamaican parents probably came to the United States in search of a better life, not expecting the hardships that the remaining prejudice in the US brought.
In fact, his mother found the city so intense and scary that she made a heartbreaking decision.
2. His Mother Gave Him Up
Just a little over a year after his birth, Belafonte’s mother made a devastating choice. She took Harry to Jamaica and left him there with his grandmother. He stayed there for about eight years, learning and growing in a very different environment from the city he left behind. Belafonte’s parents must have thought this the best place for their child to grow up—but he still saw and experienced hardship that never left him.
3. His Family Had A Hard Life
Britain still owned Jamaica when Belafonte lived there, and he witnessed firsthand the effects of colonization on the Black locals.
Most of his family worked on plantations, and he experienced the back-breaking work and poverty that characterized the lives of those who looked like him.
Belafonte eventually left the challenges of that life behind him to return to his parents—but even more challenges waited for him on the mainland.
4. He Faced Terrible Troubles
Back in New York City, Belafonte attended George Washington High School. He spent a lot of time alone in his mostly Italian corner of Harlem, as his mother worked long hours to provide for him. As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, Belafonte hid a secret struggle behind closed doors. When he had trouble in school, it wasn’t because of a lack of willingness to learn, but because he battled dyslexia. Finally, still just a freshman, Belafonte decided to end his traditional education.
After all, he had much bigger plans.
