Julie Robinson Belafonte, a dancer, actress, and, with the singer Harry Belafonte, one half of an interracial power couple who used their high profiles to aid the civil rights movement and the cause of integration in the United States, passed away on March 9 in Los Angeles. She was 95.
Her family announced her death at an assisted living facility in the Studio City neighborhood, where she had resided for the last year and nine months after living in Manhattan for decades.
Ms. Belafonte, a white woman and the second wife of Mr. Belafonte, had a diverse career in the arts, working as a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, actress, and documentary film producer.
Ms. Belafonte traveled with her husband and children during his concert tours in the late 1950s and ’60s, presenting a rare image of a close interracial family during that time.
She supported Mr. Belafonte in planning and hosting fund-raisers for civil rights groups, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
During a memorial service for Mr. Belafonte, Ms. Belafonte’s efforts were remembered by their son, David Belafonte, who highlighted her activism and endurance in the face of racial hatred and abuse.
Julia Mary Robinson, born in Manhattan in 1928 to liberal parents of Russian Jewish roots, attended the High School of Music and Art before pursuing a dance career at the Katherine Dunham School of Dance.
… (remaining content follows the same pattern)
Source link
