Actress Gina Belafonte Discusses Experiences, Perception of Race in Media
By Alfred Ng STAFF WRITER
Gina Belafonte, daughter of Caribbean music pioneer Harry Belafonte, spoke at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications on Wednesday about her father’s life and race in the media.
A day after screening her documentary, “Sing Your Song,” the actress and producer spoke in the JoyceHergenhan Auditorium, telling the story of her father’s legendary career as a musician and social activist, and discussing her journey as a biracial actress in Hollywood.
Richard Dubin, a television, radio and film professor, hosted the discussion, which was the 12th annual “Conversation on Race and Entertainment Media.” During the talk, Belafonte touched on hardships she experienced as a half-white, half-black woman in show business, and her dilemma with public identity.
“When someone first found out that my last name was Belafonte, they’d ask me if I were Italian,” she said. “But then when they found out that Harry Belafonte was my father, you know, a black man, I’d watch this whole shift in energy from them, almost as if they were confused. It’s unfortunate, that we have to figure out what race we are. We’re human.”
Belafonte talked about her father, who is recognized as the “King of Calypso” and best known for his popular “Banana Boat” song. But he also served as a connection between the civil rights movement and the politics of the 1960s. This unsung story of connecting civil rights with entertainment was told in Belafonte’s documentary, which prominently featured the untold story of her father’s role in the civil rights movement.