Happy Birthday, Harry Belafonte

Thank you to Maryscott O'Connor at My Left Wing for tipping me off that today is Harry Belafonte's birthday. I had no idea today was his birthday when I found the following story this morning.

Bush pressured King family to disinvite Belafonte

Belafonte told reporters before a speech at Case Western Reserve University that President Bush influenced the King family to disinvite him from the funeral in suburban Atlanta on Feb. 7.

Belafonte, known to be a friend of Martin Luther King Jr., said he was told about the decision the day before the funeral, at which he had been scheduled to speak.

The King children made the final decision, Belafonte said, but they were "fiercely intimidated by the president's representatives."

Belafonte has been a vocal critic of the Bush administration.

I guess Bush didn't want him there because he's been known to say things like this:

"President George W. Bush lied to the people of this nation, distorted the truth, declared war on a nation who had not attacked us . . . put Americas sons and daughters in harm's way . . . and destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of [Iraqi] women and children who had nothing to do with it. It was an act of terror."

You can see video of Belafonte speaking at the Black State of the Union here.

Update--and since I can't think of Harry Belefonte without getting the "Banana Boat Song" in my head, here's an article about it, with a link to an MP3 of the song.

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