Philanthropy in Action: Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte shares his experiences as a singer, actor, producer and human rights activist with Maxim Thorne and Yale students. Mr. Belafonte visited Yale on April 11, 2012 to speak with students in Maxim Thorne's Philanthropy in Action seminar. The conversation helped advise the students in the seminar who gave away $100K at the end of the semester.
Mr. Belafonte's passion for philanthropy and his commitment to working for the cause of social justice are chronicled in his recent autobiography My Song and the documentary film Sing Your Song. During the conversation Mr. Belafonte recounts how he became involved with the American civil rights movement in the 1950s and speaks of the need for us to find our moral center, especially celebrities and artists, to engage in progressive change.
In addition to his career as an artist and his civil rights work, Mr. Belafonte was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 1987. He has influenced generations of philanthropists by increasing awareness of the plight of children and the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa.