Singer, activist Harry Belafonte to speak in April

Harry Belafonte, a renowned entertainer and human rights activist, will bring his knowledge and experience to Penn on April 3 at Irvine Auditorium.

Although Belafonte may be best known for his popular songs -- including the classic "Day-O" -- his talents range from his successes in the music and film industry to his involvement in the civil rights movement, in which he worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr.

Belafonte's speech at Penn will focus on his experiences in both fields and will mark the fourth event that the Social Planning and Events Committee's Connaissance branch has sponsored this year.

During the fall semester, the group brought both actor-politician Ben Stein and music legend Billy Joel to campus. And just last month, Connaissance announced the addition of famous author, poet and social activist Maya Angelou to their list of speakers.

"It's been an unbelievable year," Connaissance Co-Director Samantha Cohen said, noting the range and number of speakers that will come to campus this year.

Cohen added that she hopes the increase in events this year will mark the beginning of a trend.

"I think it would be great if it continued," she said. In past years, Connaissance has brought only one speaker to campus each semester.

Bringing Belafonte to Penn, though, marks a joint effort between several campus organizations. Co-sponsors of the event include the Provost's Spotlight Series, the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life, the Black Student League, the Caribbean-American Student Association and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

As a performer, Belafonte has worked as both a vocalist and an actor. His first album, Calypso, released in 1956, was the first album ever to sell one million copies.

In addition to music, Belafonte has excelled on the stage. After earning a Tony Award for his Broadway performance in John Murray Anderson's Almanac, he went on to become a popular actor and the television industry's first African-American producer.

Belafonte has also established himself as one of the country's leading humanitarians. After working closely with King during the civil rights movement, he went on to hold a number of prestigious positions, including becoming an adviser to the Peace Corps.

Active in a variety of international humanitarian organizations, Belafonte has also been named UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador, becoming the second American ever to hold that position. He was given the National Medal of Arts by former President Bill Clinton.

And last year, Belafonte released The Long Road to Freedom: An Anthology of Black Music, which he originally recorded in the 1960s.

Cohen said that the idea of bringing Belafonte to Penn was initially launched as part of Black History Month, but the event could not be arranged for February. At that point, planning the event became a "collaboration between all of the organizations."

"We were looking into African-American speakers," Cohen said.

In 2000, Connaissance came under criticism after sponsoring former Lakers basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as its fall speaker. Abdul-Jabbar spent large portions of his talk simply reading from his book Profiles in Black Courage, to the disappointment of many in attendance.

But Cohen said that while that criticism is "definitely in the background for us," the decision to bring extra speakers to campus this year is not a direct response to this.

And though Belafonte may be an incredibly influential figure in both the entertainment industry and humanitarian organizations, some Penn students are not overly enthusiastic.

"His name doesn't immediately evoke any kind of reaction," said Nursing senior Nicole Vujan.

Vujan said that she would be more likely to attend Angelou's talk because "her reputation is more academic and not as an entertainer," but added that she would consider going to Belafonte's, as well.

However, College freshman Mary Hoang said that although she was not familiar with Belafonte's work, she knows others who would be interested in attending his talk if it focused on civil rights issues.

Tickets are free to PennCard holders and will be available on Locust Walk beginning March 19th. Tickets will also be offered to the public for $5 through the Annenberg Center Box Office.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.