美国国家公共电台 NPR--Singer, actor and human rights activist Harry Belafonte dies at 96

Singer, actor and human rights activist¹ Harry² Belafonte dies at 96

Transcript³

Artist and activist Harry Belafonte has died. Throughout his life, Belafonte used his stature⁴ to speak out for human rights.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Harry Belafonte has died. He was a singer. He was an actor. He was a human rights activist. He was a presence on television for decades. His songs are in many people's heads, including mine. He was 96 years old. During that long life, Harry Belafonte broke racial barriers. He balanced his activism with artistry in ways that made people around the world listen. NPR's Elizabeth Blair has this appreciation⁵.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE⁶: Style, class and charisma⁷ - that was Harry Belafonte.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAY O")

HARRY BELAFONTE: (Singing) Day o, day o.

BLAIR: In the 1950s, his recordings⁹ for RCA Victor set off a calypso craze.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAY O")

BELAFONTE: (Singing) Work all night on a drink of rum. Daylight come and me want go home.

BLAIR: With his good looks, his shirt unbuttoned to his chest, audiences Black and white adored Belafonte at a time when most of America was still segregated¹⁰. He was born in Harlem. His parents were from the Caribbean. His mother, a domestic worker, took him back to her native Jamaica, where he absorbed the island's culture. In 2011, he told NPR the banana boat song was inspired by the vendors¹¹ he heard singing in the streets.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

BELAFONTE: The song is a work song. It's about men who sweat all day long. And they are underpaid, and they're begging for the tally¹² man to come and give them an honest count. Count the bananas that I've picked so I can be paid.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAY O")

BELAFONTE: (Singing) Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch. Daylight come and me want go home.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

BELAFONTE: When people sing and delight and dance and love it, they don't really understand, unless they study the song, that they're singing a work song that's a song of rebellion.

BLAIR: And that song of rebellion was a smash. The album "Calypso" held a spot at the top of Billboard's album charts for several weeks in 1956.

Years earlier, Harry Belafonte dropped out of high school and joined the Navy. After serving in World War II, he was working as a janitor's assistant when someone gave him tickets to a performance at the American Negro Theater. He was riveted¹³. He started training there alongside Sidney Poitier and Ruby¹⁴ Dee. He started singing in clubs. Pretty soon, he had a recording⁸ contract.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JUMP IN THE LINE")

BELAFONTE: (Singing) Shake, shake, shake, senora. Shake your body line. Shake, shake, shake, senora. Shake it all the time.

BLAIR: In 1954, he won a Tony Award for acting¹⁵ in a musical called "John Murray Anderson's Almanac." He starred in movies and appeared on TV variety shows. In 1959, he was given a one-hour show on CBS. "The Revlon Revue: Tonight With Belafonte" had dance numbers, folk songs and both Black and white performers.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE REVLON REVUE: TONIGHT WITH BELAFONTE")

BELAFONTE: (Singing) Hava nagila, hava nagila, hava nagila, venis mecha. Hava nagila...

BLAIR: The program won an Emmy award - the first for an African American. Revlon asked him for more shows. According to Belafonte, southern CBS stations complained about its integrated cast. In interviews, he said he was asked to make it all Black. He says he refused and left the show.

Belafonte was one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most trusted friends. In 1963, he helped organize the Freedom March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech. Clarence Jones, who helped draft the speech, told WHYY's Fresh Air that it was Belafonte who explained to them how to use the power of television.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

CLARENCE JONES: He said, you have to look at this as a media event, not just as a march. And so, for example, Harry was responsible for assembling what was called the celebrity¹⁶ delegation¹⁷ - a lot of celebrities¹⁸ from Hollywood and performing artists. And he was very firm that they should sit in a certain strategic part on this podium because he knew that the television cameras would pan to them - would look to them. And so he wanted to be sure that they were strategically situated¹⁹ so that, in looking at the celebrities, they'd also see a picture of the march and the other performers.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

(APPLAUSE)

BLAIR: When Dr. King was held in a Birmingham jail, Harry Belafonte raised money to bail²⁰ him out. Coretta Scott King wrote in her autobiography²¹, whenever we got into trouble or when tragedy struck, Harry has always come to our aid, his generous heart wide open. This is Belafonte at a 1966 benefit concert for Dr. King.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BELAFONTE: (Singing) Everybody - Matilda. Sing the chorus. Matilda. Sing the music. Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela. Including the audience - Matilda. Everybody - Matilda. Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela. Just the audience...

BLAIR: Throughout his career, Belafonte received numerous honors for his humanitarian²² work and the arts. He helped organize Nelson Mandela's first trip to the U.S. after he was released from prison. He was also an outspoken²³ critic of people in power, including President Obama, who he once chastised²⁴ for not showing enough concern for the poor. He singled out African American artists Jay-Z and Beyonce, telling an interviewer they've turned their back on social responsibility. Jay-Z used his next album to respond.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NICKELS AND DIMES")

JAY-Z: (Rapping) I'm just trying to find common ground before Mr. Belafonte come and chop a [expletive] down. Mr. Day O, major fail. Respect these youngins, boy. It's my time now.

BLAIR: The two men eventually made up. Harry Belafonte was an activist well into his 90s. He told NPR that was something he learned from his mother.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

BELAFONTE: She was tenacious²⁵ about her dignity not being crushed. And one day, she said to me - and she was talking about coming back from a day when she couldn't find work. Fighting back tears, she said, don't ever let injustice²⁶ go by unchallenged.

BLAIR: As his best friend, Sidney Poitier, once put it, Harry Belafonte always raised his voice against the dark.

Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JUMP IN THE LINE")

BELAFONTE: (Singing) Shake, shake...

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

5 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 charisma   

n.(大众爱戴的)领袖气质，魅力

参考例句：

• He has enormous charisma. He is a giant of a man.他有超凡的个人魅力，是个伟人。
• I don't have the charisma to pull a crowd this size.我没有那么大的魅力，能吸引这么多人。

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

10 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

11 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

12 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

13 riveted   

铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意

参考例句：

• I was absolutely riveted by her story. 我完全被她的故事吸引住了。
• My attention was riveted by a slight movement in the bushes. 我的注意力被灌木丛中的轻微晃动吸引住了。

14 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

15 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

16 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

17 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

18 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

19 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

20 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

21 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

22 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

23 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

24 chastised   

v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He chastised the team for their lack of commitment. 他指责队伍未竭尽全力。
• The Securities Commission chastised the firm but imposed no fine. 证券委员会严厉批评了那家公司，不过没有处以罚款。 来自辞典例句

25 tenacious   

adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的

参考例句：

• We must learn from the tenacious fighting spirit of Lu Xun.我们要学习鲁迅先生韧性的战斗精神。
• We should be tenacious of our rights.我们应坚决维护我们的权利。

26 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。