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October 29, 1999/19 Cheshvan 5760, Vol. 52, No.9
Belafonte's lesson to be lived
MARTY LATZ
Special to Jewish News
The problem is that "we know so little - truly - about each other ... we need to get people to really look at another person and find their humanity." It is only in that way, with greater knowledge and a fuller understanding and appreciation of others, that we will avoid repeating the horrors of this century. Without it, we'll "prove to consistently make these same mistakes."
The legendary songwriter, performer and activist Harry Belafonte shared these thoughts at the packed Anti-Defamation League (ADL) dinner last week honoring Wells Fargo President and CEO Jon R. Campbell with its Torch of Liberty Award.
Belafonte's powerful message hit home in a mixed crowd of Jewish and non-Jewish attendees. Corporate Arizona was there, with sponsors including Arizona Public Service, Basha's, PMH Health Resources and the Arizona Republic. Political Arizona showed up too, most notably Gov. Jane Dee Hull and Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza.
But Belafonte didn't stop with a message focused solely on the power of knowledge and its ability to help stem prejudice. He also addressed affirmative action. "Don't ask me to run the race you did when I'm not wearing the same shoes," he said.
And he told us how when he went to Hollywood and asked the moguls to show Nat Turner's historic fight against slavery, they asked, "Will it cross over?"
The fight, Belafonte explained, is not only about educating ourselves about the history of others. It is also about overcoming "economic and political pragmatism."
We must take both messages to heart. If we don't, we risk a re-enactment of intolerance leading to large-scale ethnic cleansing, such as what occurred in the Holocaust.
Diverse gatherings undoubtedly occurred in pre-World War II Germany. But those events probably did not celebrate diversity and fight prejudice. Instead, they likely celebrated uniformity and assimilation and swept their undeniable prejudice under the table.
So what should we do? Embrace Belafonte's message and live it. The ADL will do this with some of the dinner's proceeds, expanding its A World of Difference Institute, one of the largest and most respected diversity education training programs in the nation.
But we also need to do more individually and corporately. Campbell in his acceptance remarks spoke of bringing bank branches to the Navajo Nation and of his personal commitment to further diversify Wells Fargo's work force.
Bringing together diverse individuals in the workplace will help break down the walls of prejudice by chipping away at the ignorance underlying it. It is the right thing to do, and it's also good for business. More corporate citizens need to step up and accept this challenge.
We must also fight this on the family level. Stop telling or laughing at ethnic jokes; it sends the wrong message. Expose your kids to Arizona's remarkable diversity. Take them to the Phoenix Art Museum, which has wonderful Native American art. Give them books on Nat Turner and discuss slavery with them. And monitor their Internet use, keeping them off the proliferating hate and white supremacist sites.
We must fight this battle every day. Harry Belafonte has fought it his entire life and set a remarkable example. Let's each take up his challenge and do something about it in our own homes and community.
Marty Latz is a Valley attorney and negotiations consultant. Send comments to mlatz@negot.com.
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