Harry Belafonte reads a speech by labor activist Cesar Chavez on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 2010.
Harry Belafonte became a singing sensation in the 1950s, bringing Caribbean Calypso music to international audiences. The refrain of “Day-O!,” from his recording of “The Banana Boat Song,” echoed for generations.
He went on to have a long career in both singing and acting, dabbling across musical genres and starring on stage and in film.
Belafonte was also an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and a confidante of Martin Luther King, Jr. Throughout a career that included Grammy awards, an Emmy, and a Tony, he used his platform to advocate for humanitarian causes and political issues he supported.
In 2003, Harry Belafonte joined Diane in the studio in Washington DC as a guest on The Diane Rehm Show. The issues they talked about then — voting rights, the war in Afghanistan, the privatization of the prison system — almost seem like they could be pulled from the headlines today.
Rethinking leadership in the U.S. African AmericanStudies professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr. says Americans have looked to the political class to create a just democracy for too long – and it hasn't worked. In a new book he argues that we are the leaders we have been looking for and explains what that means for the 2024 election.
Menopause. Once a taboo topic, the "m" word is having a moment – among celebrities, in the media, and in Washington, where President Biden recently signed an order that supports research into women's health. Dr. Sharon Malone says it's about time, and explains why understanding "the change" is critical for a woman's ability to get – and stay -- healthy.
Donald Trump regularly ends his rallies with prayer. He has repeatedly compared himself to Jesus. And last week he started selling a version of the Bible. Robert P. Jones of the Public Religion Research Institute weighs in on Trump’s growing embrace of Christianity.
Donald Trump has made cognitive ability a central issue of the presidential race. But he rarely talks about his own family's experience with dementia. The Washington Post's Michael Kranish on Fred Trump Senior's Alzheimer's disease and what voters deserve to know about a candidate's mental fitness.