Shhh... A Surprise Gathering for Harry Belafonte
Join Me & The Gathering for Justice to Celebrate the 94th Birthday of the Iconic Harry Belafonte
Hosted by Tiffany Haddish& Charlamagne the God, and Benefiting The Gathering for Justice,
the Night Features Performances & Words by Common, Aloe Blacc, Tamika Mallory, Bernie Sanders, Chuck D., Danny Glover and Many More
I first met Harry Belafonte in the Spring of 2016, through our mutual friend and general A+ connector, freedom-fighter, and Broadway aficionado Ira Gilbert. Knowing I had produced and directed a string of events and commercials benefiting mostly non-profits, Ira wanted to get my thoughts on what Harry was starting to put together: a festival to get out the vote, encouraging people to stand up for justice, somehow seeing what was on the horizon unlike many of us truly did in the months leading up to the 2016 Presidential Election (does that require a trigger warning?) .
Harry had a great idea, and the gravitas to pull it off. Some people today are only familiar with Mr. B, as Harry is known to many, as the guy who sang Day-O. Here’s a short list of what some people don’t know, but really will benefit from knowing:
Harry is one of a few people to have the coveted EGOT, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony
He was one of the major funders of the civli rights movement
He was one of the first Black American performers to touch a white woman performer, which caused quite a stir in the early 1960’s
He was responsible for brokering the relationship between Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy
And in fact, he was one of the people responsible for much of the progress the civil rights movement saw in the 1960’s
He’s worked to heal conflicts globally ever since, from poverty to AIDS
He’s a REALLY. COOL. GUY.
Ira brought me to my first meeting with Harry and his wife Pam, a smart, striking photographer, at one of the trios’ favorite restaurants in the Upper West Side. I had prepared a deck that encapsulated what was then called “STIR IT UP”. I was treated to stories, laughs, and an education, all over the course of a two-and-a-half-hour dinner. Harry, Pam & Ira liked what I had to offer, and we got started on producing the festival that eventually became Many Rivers to Cross. My role ultimately scaled down when other teams came on board, but I still got a chance to play a part in what was in many ways an incredible experience, and what could have been, in other ways, even better.
One of my favorite memories of this time was sitting in Pam & Harry’s living room, along with Susanne Rostock, a dear friend who is the editor-extraordinaire of Harry’s biopic “Sing Your Song”, and Brian Satz, Harry’s friend and music-coordinator/star-connector, going over music that was going to be in the show. At one point, either Brian or I introduced Harry to Spotify; Harry was treated to an AI-induced trip down memory lane, and we were treated to a solo concert from one of the greatest voices of all time.
So when Ira hit me up to let me know about the plans that Carmen Perez-Jordan had for this year’s birthday celebration, I jumped into the mix. I gotta say, it’s going to be incredible. The lineup is great, but the cause - the night benefits the Gathering for Justice, the org that Harry started in the early 2000’s and that Carmen has been leading since it’s inception - is so truly Harry Belafonte, in my humble opinion.
The team at the Gathering, The Justice League (the rapid response offshoot of the org), and the parties involved are all super professional and super CHILL. It’s evident this group is creating magic, and being witness to it, along with the conversations with icons of the movement like Danny Glover, Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Nane Alejandrez, Gus Newport and more are nothing short of awe-inspiring.
The Gathering for Justice started as The Gathering for the Elders in Epps Alabama in 2005. The first Gathering took place in Epps Alabama, when Harry gathered together the elders, met some resistance from the youth, and ultimately culminated in the birth of The Gathering for Justice, the incubator for movements like The Women's March, Free Meek Mill, The March for Our Lives Tour Across America, and many many of the movements that have helped catapult our country back to the front of the fight for Civil Rights for ALL. That first event and those since included those named above and many more. One of the most iconic moments from that first gathering is when Ruby Dee got up, demanding into the microphone
"Over the years I've come to places like this so, many, times. And I leave without an assignment! We need an assignment!"
long-since part of the battle cry to continually take action.
The next Gathering, the one happening this Sunday, February 28th, 2021, will be unlike those previous; a world entrenched in an epidemic where, once again, communities of color are disproportionately left to bear the brunt of brutality; a world that continues to uprise against oppression because there are still too many injustices to fight; a world that is on the tipping point of great and radical change, or, scarily, the polar opposite. This will also include many of the new change-makers in front-line-activism, entertainment and sports.
So join me in celebrating Harry Belafonte, a man who is credited with being one of the major reasons the civil rights movement of the 1960’s had the impact it did, and the organization he founded to create and fulfill the agenda of sustaining justice for all.
THIS LINEUPPPPPP….
