Artists, Entrepreneurs, Sports, Film and TV Stars, Teens, Segregation

7 Famous People of Color Who Challenged Racism

Some pushed back in little-known or unforgettable ways

First updated April 25, 2023

Learning this morning the iconic entertainer and activist was now the late Mr. Harry Belafonte inspired me to update this article with incidents many may not know.

There is nothing funny about racism but fact-checking Mr. Belafonte’s history last year, and how he handled some race-based issues caused me to laugh out loud.

Consider, when a landlord refused Mr. Belafonte a dwelling in New York in the 1950s, he sent his White publicist as a stand-in. But the landlord was adamant he would not permit Mr. Belafonte’s residence.

No problem. No problem at all. According to an ABC News report, Mr. Belafonte bought the building.

This makes sense; by age 32, he had become the highest-paid Black performer in history. (Andrew Jazprose Hill)

And when asked to present at The Kennedy Center Awards in 2013, as an American citizen born to immigrant parents, Mr. Belafonte used his appearance to address the political hot-button issue of immigration. A link to the memorable speech appears in the sources list.

An icon and fierce social activist warrior is now at peace.

In some cases, the racist treatment some famous people of color encounter could be classified as stranger than fiction.

At least two of the stories that follow can be classified as downright weird.

In October 1963, in Shreveport, Louisiana, legendary singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur Sam Cooke, his wife, and band, were denied lodging, despite having made reservations in advance with a chain hotel — a hotel that turned out to have a policy of segregation.

At the time, the popular crossover artist was in second place on the charts behind Elvis Presley in record sales (PBS). Incensed, Cooke argued with the hotel staff, and the management called the police. Cooke and some of his band members were arrested and jailed for disturbing the peace (NPR).

Within eight weeks of the hotel incident, Cooke wrote a song that later became a civil rights anthem: “A Change is Gonna Come.”

Barbara Elaine Smith, known professionally as B. Smith, the nationally known lifestyle expert, celebrity chef, and restaurateur went on to fame with her brand’s motto, “Whatever you do, do it with style.”

As a high-school teen, Smith displayed her unique style when confronted by racism.

Smith excelled as a home economics student, but because of her race, she was denied membership to a national student organization known as the Future Homemakers of America.

No problem.

Smith started her own home economics club and appointed herself president, according to the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette.

In the 1960s and 1970s, an iconic baseball player and humanitarian played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. His name was Mr. Roberto Clemente, and he was to Latin American culture what Mr. Jackie Robinson was to African American culture.

Originally born in Puerto Rico, Clemente had a thick accent, and the American press wanted Clemente to anglicize his name, so they began calling him Bob, Robert, and Bobby. But Clemente refused those nicknames and never backed down.

My name is Roberto, Clemente said. (Librarian, Roger O. Green)

After Clemente’s posthumous induction into baseball’s National Hall of Fame, in the 1970s, it took another twenty-seven years to change the name on his plaque. You see, it contained an error in his surname, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

In 2007, Rissi Palmer became the first African American woman to land a hit on the country chart in twenty years.

Country music has roots in early Black American music. But there is very little diversity and women of color have long been excluded. Since the 1920s, only four solo female African American acts and one all-female African American group have made it onto the country music chart, reports Indy Week.

An independent artist and businesswoman, Palmer used Kick-Starter to successfully fund her Back Porch album.

Palmer has performed at the White House, The Grand Ole Opry, and other prestigious venues. And she has been interviewed by many news organizations and publications, including CBS News, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and Time.

So, Palmer’s CBS News account of what she experienced at one of her concerts is confounding.

“I’ve been turned away at my own shows. A security guard wasn’t gonna let me get on because he was like, ‘Who are you?’ — Rissi Palmer

To push for change in the country music niche, Palmer started an Apple Music radio show, “Color Me Country.” The mission is to recognize contemporary and historical Black and Brown women in country music. And Palmer has also started a grant program for struggling musicians in a tough industry.

“I’m also doing this as a notice to the industry,” she says. “If little me in Durham, NC, who uses the same internet, social media, and streaming services as everyone else, can find and help these artists from my tiny platform, why can’t you?” (Indy Week)

Lionel Hampton

The popular jazz/swing orchestra leader, philanthropist, and social activist was a household name in the 1930s and 1940s and renowned internationally.

And he performed in one of the first integrated musical groups.

One night, in 1945, while playing at a venue in Kansas, Mr. Lionel Hampton invited two male guests to hear the band.

The men paid for their tickets but because of a segregation policy, the two negro men (pewresearch.org) were denied entry.

During the confrontation, a police officer beat one of the men on the head with a revolver. The man attacked by police was Hampton’s friend orchestra leader Cab Calloway.

When Mr. Hampton received word of the attack, he ordered management to refund 1500 tickets to the audience immediately because the band would not continue playing.

CLUBS CAB CALLOWAY | The Kansas City Star

(For more about Cab Calloway, see the article about the Nicholas Brothers and Jumpin’ Jive at the end of the sources list.)

Sir, Mr. Sidney Poitier

Many people had no idea he slept with a weapon during the filming of In the Heat of the Night.

Nor would it occur to many, me included, that a movie scene written in the 1960s in which a White plantation owner slaps a Black police officer who slaps him back… could not have been the brainchild of a European Hollywood screenwriter.

Who then?

It was the ultimate pushback. A scene heard around the world (Medium article comment).

Thank you for Reading.

Sources

Niche Creativity.com

Did Santana and Immigration Law Block Harry Belafonte’s Success? Did Santana and Immigration Law Block Harry Belafonte’s Success? | Finding Your Niche (nichecreativity.com)

Why Harry Belafonte Broke Through the Race Barrier When Others Could Not https://aninjusticemag.com/why-harry-belafonte-mattered-327b99749b58