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<h1 class="entry_title"> <small>Harry Belafonte Calls Out Jay-Z and
Beyonce for Selfishness </small></h1>
<div class="single_postmeta"> <span class="left"> Added by <a
href="http://www.kulturekritic.com/author/bowatkin/">bowatkin</a> on
August 8, 2012.<br>
<small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.kulturekritic.com/2012/08/news/harry-belafonte-calls-out-jay-z-and-beyonce-for-selfishness/">http://www.kulturekritic.com/2012/08/news/harry-belafonte-calls-out-jay-z-and-beyonce-for-selfishness/</a></small><a
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<p>by Dr. Boyce Watkins, KultureKritic.com</p>
<p>Harry Belafonte, who did a great deal of work for the black
community during the Civil Rights Movement, is making no secret of the
fact that he’s very disappointed in many young black celebrities when
it comes to to social activism. Speaking <a
href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/harry-belafonte-locarno-mitt-romney-359192"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.hollywoodreporter.com']);">this
week with the Hollywood Reporter</a>, Belafonte pointed out Jay-Z and
Beyonce as prime examples of what he’s talking about.</p>
<p><em>THR: Back to the occasion of the award for your acting career.
Are you happy with the image of members of minorities in Hollywood
today?</em></p>
<p><em>Belafonte: Not at all. They have not told the history of our
people, nothing of who we are. We are still looking. We are not
determinated. We are not driven by some technology that says you can
kill Afghanistans, the Iraquis or the Spanish. It is all – excuse my
French – shit. It is sad. And I think one of the great abuses of this
modern time is that we should have had such high-profile artists,
powerful celebrities. But they have turned their back on social
responsibility. That goes for Jay-Z and Beyoncé, for example. Give me
Bruce Springsteen, and now you’re talking. I really think he is black. </em></p>
<div
style="float: left; clear: both; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 5px;">
My friend Alexis Stodghill at TheGrio <a
href="http://thegrio.com/2012/08/08/harry-belafonte-jay-z-beyonce-have-turned-their-back-on-social-responsibility/#s:harry-belafonte-beyonce-jay-z-16x9"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://thegrio.com']);">makes
the point (in a news piece where she carefully cites both sides of the
issue) that perhaps Belafonte</a> is off-base with his critique. She
notes that Beyonce has spoken up for her fellow recording artist Frank
Ocean when he admitted that he was gay, and that Jay-Z has chumed it up
with President Obama during his presidential campaign and supported him
on the issue of gay marriage.</div>
<p>We must note that Beyonce and Jay-Z speaking up on gay marriage and
homosexuality is little more than a political decision designed to
remain in alignment with the Obama presidency. If Barack had said
nothing on the issue, Jay-Z would have said nothing. So, we have to be
sure not to mistake meaningful advocacy for elitist political
shoulder-rubbing (wealthy famous people tend to take care of one
another).</p>
<p>But when you look at the black aristocracy that is known as Jay-Z
and Beyonce, one form of activism that is missing is anything that
involves the words “poor black people.” Also, when it comes to issues
that affect the least of us, including poverty, mass incarceration,
urban violence, unequal educational systems and the like, it’s easy to
say that Jay-Z and Beyonce have been effectively missing in action,
unless it’s time to show up and utilize this audience to sell albums.</p>
<p>One exception<a
href="http://newsone.com/2030015/jay-z-beyonce-harry-belafonte/"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://newsone.com']);"
target="_blank"> noted by Kirsten West Savali at NewsOne.com</a> is
the Shawn Carter foundation, created by Jay-Z and the people who work
for him. ”According to the foundation’s website, Since the
Foundation’s inception, over 750 students have received awards totaling
over $1.3 million dollars.”</p>
<p>Jay-Z should certainly be commended for doing something he didn’t
have to do, but let’s really think about this for a second, shall we?
First, most corporations have some kind of foundation. Even Wal-Mart
can claim to have sent thousands of kids to college, as they
simultaneously strip workers of their rights around the world, drive
small companies out of business and refuse to pay a living wage to
their employees. Secondly, if you divide the $1.3 million given away
by the foundation by 750 scholarship recipients, that’s about $1,733
per child. Please tell me what college in America has a tuition bill
of $1,733. Of course Jay-Z gives away more than most of us can afford,
but even the local drug dealer can also afford to use heroin money give
away turkeys at Chistmas. The point here is that if I pillage half a
billion dollars from the black community over a 10-year period, it’s
pretty easy for me to give back $1.3 million of it.</p>
<p>I noticed a line in Jay-Z’s song “Niggaz in Paris,” where he says,
“Can you see the private jets flying over you?” This line is part of a
consistent message of black elitism that has become all-too prevalent
in the entertainment industry. It is a statement which says, “I’m
better than you, and I am not one of you. Your job is to either
worship me or hate on me, I don’t care which one.”</p>
<p>Beyond the “extensive” efforts of his foundation, Jay-Z is also the
man <a
href="http://www.yourblackworld.net/2012/02/black-celebrities/jayz-earned-63m-year-gave-6000-charity-sad/"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.yourblackworld.net']);">who
earned over $63 million dollars</a> last year and only gave $6,000 to
charity. Unfortunately, this has become par for the course in a world
where poor black people are not nearly as fashionable of a cause as gay
white kids from the suburbs. Poor black kids can’t buy your records,
rendering them effectively useless.</p>
<p>So, while Beyonce and Jay-Z speaking up on marriage equality is a
politely cute form of activism, you have to agree with Belafonte that
today’s artists are taught not to care about anyone other than
themselves. At best, we might get a photo op at a charity event, but
the real pressure to sacrifice for those who are suffering is lost as
millions of us forgive celebrities for being unwilling to use their
power to make the world a better place. The rule is simple: If you’re
rich, we love you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a former crack dealer
(Jay-Z), brag about murdering women and children (Lil Wayne) or sleep
with middle school kids on the weekends (R. Kelly). Money is used to
wash away all sins, and people are quicker to disrespect an icon like
Harry Belafonte than they are to challenge celebrities to do more than
tweet pictures of their newborn baby.</p>
<p>By “social responsibility,” I don’t think that Belafonte is
referring to charity concerts or speaking to Congress about saving
dolphins. He’s talking about the kind of activism that requires
BALLS. He’s talking about the black men and women during the 1960s who
used their voices loud and clear to state that things need to change in
America soon, or else.</p>
<p>Those days are long gone. In the 1960s, oppression was much more
rampant, so nearly every black person was banging on the door of
equality. Today, those who’ve been allowed access to predominantly
white institutions are asked to sign a “Good negro forever” card, and
disavow any meaningful political stands that might get them into
trouble with a corporate sponsor or record label. As a result, we have
a group of celebrities who are very quick to build their brands off the
“street cred” granted to them by impoverished African Americans, but
don’t feel compelled to use those brands to become anything other than
corporate-sponsored slumlords.</p>
<p>So, a “gangsta rapper” can speak all day about his time in prison,
but he dare not say anything about the fact that the United States
incarcerates more of its citizens in the world, earning billions on the
backs of black men and women, destroying millions of families in the
process. He can rap all about “all his homies that done passed away,”
but he’s better off staying away from a conversation about how gun
violence is fueled by manufacturers who are happy to build profitable
corporate tools to fund black male genocide.</p>
<p>It is the lack of acknowledgement of the deep and piercing artifacts
of black oppression that bother Belafonte and others the most. It’s
what bothers me too, for I’ve always been raised to believe that (to
recite the words of Spiderman’s Uncle Ben) great power comes with great
responsibility.</p>
<p>Perhaps when Jay-Z really understands what wealth is all about, he
can take a note from Warren Buffett, Oprah and others, who’ve convinced
<a href="http://givingpledge.org/"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://givingpledge.org']);"
target="_blank">several billionaires to give half of their wealth</a>
to charity when they die. A billion dollars is far more than enough
for one family so why not use the rest of save 1,000 families? Is it
nothing less than utterly shameful to have 10 houses, 15 cars, 200
expensive suits and several private planes? Maybe there is a point
where such gluttony should not be celebrated by the rest of us, and
instead be called out as pathetic in a world where millions of children
are going to die this year from starvation.</p>
<p>Anyone who disagrees with me might want to consider the fact that
there is nothing consistent with the teachings of Jesus about letting
innocent people starve while you’re burning money in your basement.
The principled stands by men like Muhammad Ali, who gave up everything
for his principles, are virtually non-existence when our leading
artists write songs about excessive materialism, getting high and drunk
every day, killing other black men and unhealthy sexual promiscuity.
Belafonte is right on point and we should look to our elders to remind
us of what it means to live a purposeful and righteous life.</p>
<p>Harry Belafonte, by speaking up at the age of 85, is effectively
asking that young people pick up the baton that he’s been running since
Dr. King was a teenager. But instead of picking up the baton, we’ve
thrown it at his feet and signed ourselves up for corporate slavery. I
congratulate Harry for taking a stand on this important issue, and I am
hopeful that his courage can spark the cultural revolution necessary to
make our people stronger as a result.</p>
<p>Way to go Harry, I respect you.</p>
<p><em><strong>Dr. Boyce Watkins is a professor at <a
href="http://drboycewatkins.com/thesyracuseprofessor/"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://drboycewatkins.com']);"
target="_blank">Syracuse University</a> and founder of the <a
href="http://yourblackworld.net/"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://yourblackworld.net']);"
target="_blank">Your Black World Coalition</a>. To have Dr. Boyce
commentary delivered to your email, <a
href="https://greatblackspeakers.wufoo.com/forms/dr-boyce-watkins-on-aol-black-voices/"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://greatblackspeakers.wufoo.com']);"
target="_blank">please click here.</a></strong></em></p>
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