While the late Harry Belafonte was featured on the in memoriam montage at the recent 66th annual Grammys, he did not receive a special tribute like Clarence Avant, Tony Bennett, Sinead O’Connor, and Tina Turner received, and his daughter Shari Belafonte believes that is a gross oversight.
In an essay for Deadline, the actress and musician shared her feelings on the situation in addition to highlighting many of her father’s trailblazing accomplishments.
“So many talented, wonderful people left us this past year. But to me, the standout obviously would be my father, Harry Belafonte,” she wrote.
“There have been numerous homages made to Harry since his passing in April of last year. There will be many more,” she continued “But the one you would immediately imagine to be grand would’ve been the one the Grammys would have done. And yet, a two-second picture of him on the screen was all that was allotted.”
“Now don’t get me wrong. While the folks who had a bit more of a shout-out this year were absolutely deserving of the accolades, I’m a bit appalled that Harry was not included in a ‘Special Tribute’ section. And I’m not just saying that because he was my father,” she asserted.
The 69-year-old “Sistas” actress went on to list some of her father’s stellar accomplishments, such as being the first black man to win an Emmy, holding EGOT status, being inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame, and being the catalyst that pitched the idea for the classic pop star ensemble USA For Africa that made the song, “We Are The World” in 1985 as detailed in the new Netflix documentary, The Greatest Night in Pop.
In addition to his music and entertainment accolades, Belafonte also was a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and frequently lent a hand and star power to many moments in the Civil Rights Movement, including helping to organize the 1963 March on Washington.
“He is the one that created Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid bringing light to the plight of apartheid and the incarceration of Nelson Mandela in South Africa,” Shari Belafonte wrote. “He was the ambassador to Unicef for well over 30 years; received accolades from around the world for not just participating, but for starting movements for the betterment of humanity.”
“While no doubt Tony Bennett, Tina Turner and others were special indeed and deserved a spotlight on the Grammys, I believe the Grammys also missed an opportunity to remind the world that there was another great artist and humanitarian,” she said. “But he was sadly overlooked … as so many people of color still are.”
