Harry Belafonte Given Ambassador of Conscience Award
SEP 17, 2013 – Musical-activist Harry Belafonte, who has been active politically and always at work in community activism for decades, has been rewarded for all his great work with a 2013 Ambassador of Conscience Award by Amnesty International. Harry Belafonte started his activism back in 1950s, where he refused to play down in the southern states, as a protest against the racism. President John F. Kennedy named him cultural advisor to the Peace Corps. He was a confidant of Martin Luther King Jr., and was very active in the civil rights movements in the 1950s and 1960s. He continued his activism and speaking out throughout his career to the present, criticizing the George W. Bush administration and even President Obama; saying he is disconnected from the needs of the poor saying, "I think we will be forever disappointed in what that administration will deliver."
Mr. Belafonte will be given Amnesty International's highest award tonight at Mansion House in Dublin Ireland, by musical-activists Bono and Roger Waters, "recognizing individuals who have promoted or enhanced the cause of human rights through their life and by example." In a statement Mr. Belafonte said, "Since it's birth, I have been devoted to the principles for which Amnesty International stands. It is an honor to receive the recognition being bestowed. Amnesty International's stand on any universal abuse to human rights has been courageous and is our moral compass."
Pakistani teenager women's education and human rights activist Malala Yousafzai is also being bestowed with the honor. Read more on Amnesty International's website here. (photo: Belafonte with Sydney Poitier and Charlton Heston 1963 Civil Rights March, DC – Credit: US Information Agency/CC)