Sidney PoitierandHarry Belafonte at Sardi’s restaurant in New York for a party in honor of Lorraine Hansberry’s Broadway play A Raisin in the Sun, photographed by Gordon Parks (March 1959)
Happy heavenly birthday to Sidney! Today would have been his 95th birthday!
“An artist must bear a special responsibility. He must be accountable for the content of his work. And that work should reflect a deep, abiding concern for humanity.” –Charles White
SOUND ON: Hear performer and activist Harry Belafonte introduce his friend, influential artist and teacher Charles White. White dedicated himself to creating art that exposed the lives of African Americans and the hardships of oppressed peoples everywhere with inventive experimentation across mediums. Explore his prolific four-decade career in “Charles White: A Retrospective,” now on view at the Museum thanks to the support of Terra Foundation for American Art.
Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte at a party at Sardi’s restaurant in honor of Lorraine Hansberry’s Broadway play ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ in New York, March 1959.
We’re Thrilled to Share with You the Official Lineup of Historic Speeches that will be Performed at #MLKNOW by Some of Today’s Best Actors/Artists including Actor and Civil Rights Icon Harry Belafonte, Actor and Comedian Chris Rock, Oscar-Winner Octavia Spencer, Creator and Star of the hit Broadway Musical “Hamilton” Lin Manuel Miranda, CREED Actors Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson, Tony Award Winner Anika Noni Rose, Actor Andre Holland, Actresses Condola Rashad and Adepero Oduye, and more.
MLK Now will also feature musical performances by Rose, Grammy-Nominated Artist Bilal, Acclaimed Poet/Performer Saul Williams, and Grammy-Winning Artist India Arie, and closes off with an interactive panel discussion addressing the most pressing human rights issues of today – including police violence, racial and social injustice, economic inequality, the prison industrial complex and grassroots and political mobilization. Panelists include Filmmaker and Blackout Member Ryan Coogler, Grammy-Nominated Hip Hop Artist J. Cole, Urban Cusp Founder and Publisher Rahiel Tesfamariam, Arab American Association of New York Executive Director Linda Sarsour, Million Hoodies Movement for Justice Executive Director Dante Barry, and Activist Leon Ford, Jr.
Continuing the celebration of the photographer’s birthday today, a selection of Carl Van Vechten’s brilliant color portraits of African American performers: Billie Holiday, Geoffrey Holder, Pearl Bailey, Carmen De Lavallade, Ella Fitzgerald, Joyce Bryant, Harry Belafonte, Ethel Waters, James Earl Jones, and Blanche Dunn.
Sidney PoitierandHarry Belafonte at Sardi’s restaurant in New York for a party in honor of Lorraine Hansberry’s Broadway play A Raisin in the Sun, photographed by Gordon Parks (March 1959)
Happy heavenly birthday to Sidney! Today would have been his 95th birthday!
