Harry Belafonte

morano attacks 2002 and 2008
2002 to cover trent lott's ass?

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CNSNews.com) -Entertainer/activist Harry Belafonte, set to be honored

Thursday night in Washington, still finds himself at the center of a

racially charged controversy over his remarks comparing Secretary of

State Colin Powell to a "house slave."

Belafonte's remarks have

also triggered anxiety about his scheduled keynote speech at a Charles

Schwab investment conference at the end of October in Washington.

In

addition, two Bush administration officials and a U.S. Senator are now

official no-shows at two separate Belafonte-related events - their

decision to stay away apparently prompted by the entertainer's remarks

comparing Powell to a slave who will say only "what the master wants to

hear."

Harry Belafonte is set to receive Africare's 2002 Bishop

Walker Humanitarian Award for his "outstanding contributions to

human-kind worldwide and, specifically, to the civil rights struggle in

the United States and to the struggles for political independence,

children's rights and development, and freedom from HIV/AIDS

Africa-wide." Africare is a non-profit relief group.

Niger Innis

of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a conservative African

American civil rights group, is upset that the Africare is honoring

Belafonte with its highest award.

Noting that Africare receives

U.S. tax dollars, Innis told CNSNews.com , "We are outraged that

Belafonte is either directly or indirectly going to be the recipient of

America's good graces while he berates Colin Powell and removes

[National Security Advisor] Condoleezza Rice in a very totalitarian

way." 

Innis was referring to Belafonte's "uninviting" of Rice as

the keynote speaker for the awards dinner because he believes she has

turned her back on black people.

Rice refused as keynote speaker

As

first reported by CNSNews.com , Rice was originally scheduled to be

the keynote speaker for the Africare Belafonte awards dinner, but was

replaced by former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.

Belafonte

boasted to MSNBC's Phil Donahue last week that he "protested" Rice's

selection as keynoter for Africare's awards dinner because "I did not

like her policies and I thought that she was an inappropriate speaker

for the evening."

"When it showed up that Condoleezza Rice was

to be the keynote speaker, I protested that fact. I told [Africare] I

would not come," he added.

Before Belafonte's revelation,

Africare was blaming the replacement of Rice as keynote speaker at the

dinner on "scheduling conflicts."

Rice responded to Belafonte's remarks on Sunday, saying, "I don't need Harry Belafonte to tell me what it means to be black."

Senator

Trent Lott (R-Miss.), listed as one of Africare's National Honorary

Patron's for the awards dinner, along with Senate Majority Leader Tom

Daschle (D-S.D.), had previously announced he would not be attending the

dinner because of Belafonte's remarks about Powell.

Schwab anxiety?

The

controversy over Belafonte's remarks about Powell and Rice is also

spilling over into Belafonte's scheduled keynote speech to a Charles

Schwab financial investment advisor conference being held October 27-30

in Washington, D.C. Belafonte is scheduled to be the final speaker on

October 30th at the 12th Annual IMPACT 2002 conference, sponsored by

Schwab Institutional.

Lance Berg, a Schwab spokesman, told

CNSNews.com that Belafonte's speech to investors will "discuss human

conditions and spiritual changes taking place around the world."

According

to Berg, Belafonte's speech is "intended to be light and inspirational"

and "will provide value to for our advisor clients on human

conditions." Belafonte has recently come out strongly against the Bush

administration's policy toward Iraq. 

When asked if Belafonte's

scheduled speech was generating any controversy among the Schwab

conference participants, Berg replied, "I haven't heard anything."

But

Investment News, a Crain Communication financial publication, reported

this week that some participants are anxious over Belafonte's upcoming

speech and hope Schwab ensures the entertainer does not delve into

racial politics. The Investment News article was entitled "Schwab

expects Impact 2002 speaker to stifle political remarks: Going bananas

over Belafonte."

"These are Schwab's clients and Schwab has the

right to tell [Belafonte] to deliver the message they contracted for,"

Dennis Miller, president of the Phoenix-based Miller/Russell Associates

Inc. told Investment News.

Irving Straus, chairman of Straus

Corporate Communications in New York told Investment News that Schwab

"has to make the best of a bad situation...to disinvite him is

unthinkable."

But David Almasi, [white guy] director of Project 21, a

leadership network for conservative African Americans, told CNSNews.com

, "I would hope Schwab would re-think their decision to have

[Belafonte] speak in light of his comments on Powell,

Almasi

believes there is a political double standard. "If some government

official from the Bush Administration had said something off color or

inappropriate to his title, Schwab would certainly be thinking about

revoking his invitation... but with liberals, I don't see this kind of

second thinking."

Belafonte was booked to speak at the Schwab

conference before he made the controversial remarks about Powell. Other

speakers at the conference include CNN Anchor Judy Woodruff and former

National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft.

The event is an

annual meeting of Schwab advisors and includes major co-sponsors such as

BN Amro Asset Management, ProFunds, Heartland Funds, Morgan Stanley,

Scudder Investments, JP Morgan Fleming Asset Management and Oppenheimer

Funds, Inc.

A spokesman for Morgan Stanley, listed as a Gold

sponsor of the Schwab event, declined to comment about Belafonte's

scheduled speech. Scowcroft's office did not reply to repeated requests

for comment.

Another Bush administration official no-show

Powell's

Deputy Secretary of State Department Richard Armitage was originally

scheduled to speak at the Schwab's conference. Berg said that Armitage

canceled "within the last week or two." Berg explained that Armitage's

cancellation was due to "the State Department recommending he decline

his participation" because of a "conflict of interest."

Frederick

Jones, a spokesman for Armitage, told CNSNews.com that Powell and

Armitage "are very good friends," but the event "was never on Mr.

Armitage's schedule."

"His schedule will not permit him to attend, so that is the story," Jones said.

Armitage's

cancellation marks the second time since Belafonte's remarks about

Powell that a Bush Administration official has either been uninvited or

canceled an appearance at an event that featured Belafonte.

Almasi

said Belafonte's comments on Powell were "very inflammatory and very

much demeaning because of his race." Almasi explained, "I wonder if

[Schwab] will fill the Richard Armitage [speaking] slot with someone

like [Zimbabwe dictator] Robert Mugabe or David Duke or someone of

similar mindset?"[to belafonte's ?!]

Innis does not understand why Schwab would pick

Belafonte to speak at an investment conference. "I find it

particularly offensive that a man who has supported every left wing

totalitarian dictatorship that stifles free market principles is going

to be speaking to financial investors professionals." Innis said.
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