Editing Harry Belafonte (section)

=== Involvement in the Kennedy campaign ===
In the [[1960 election]] between [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Richard Nixon]], notable Black athlete [[Jackie Robinson]] advocated his support for the Nixon campaign. His reasoning for doing so was his perception of Kennedy's championing of the [[Civil rights movement|Civil Rights movement]] as disingenuous.<ref>{{Cite news |last=New York Times |date=June 6, 2014 |title=Jackie Robinson and Nixon: Life and Death of a Political Friendship |work=New York Times Company |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1712316168 |issn=1553-8095 |id={{ProQuest|1712316168}} }}</ref> Because of Robinson's social impact on Black Americans, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] was determined to find a comparable Black endorser for Kennedy's campaign.<ref name=":272">{{Cite web |title=Watch Bobby Kennedy for President {{!}} Netflix Official Site |url=https://www.netflix.com/title/80174282 |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=Netflix.com |language=en}}</ref> Fresh off of his win as the first Black man to receive an [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]] for his work on ''Tonight with Belafonte'', Belafonte was Kennedy's pick to fill the endorsement position.<ref name=":15">{{Cite book |last=Ross |first=Steven J |title=Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics |publisher=USA: Oxford University Press. |year=2011 |pages=185–226 |chapter=Politics in Black and White: Harry Belafonte }}</ref>

The two met in Belafonte's apartment, where Kennedy had hoped to convince Belafonte to mobilize support for his campaign. He thought to accomplish this by having Belafonte mobilize his influence amongst other Black entertainers of the era, persuading them to rally for Kennedy's presidential nomination. Unexpectedly, Belafonte was not so impressed by the candidate, sharing the same sentiments as Robinson about Kennedy's role (or lack thereof) in maintaining civil rights as an essential part of his campaign. To improve his engagement with Black America, Belafonte suggested to Kennedy that he contact [[Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King]], making a connection to a viable source of leadership within the movement. Kennedy, though, was hesitant with this suggestion, questioning the social impact the preacher could make on the campaign. After much convincing–as Kennedy and King would later meet in June 1960–the two men negotiated a deal that if Nixon became the nominee for the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican party]], Belafonte would support Kennedy's presidential pursuits.<ref name=":15"/> Belafonte's endorsement of the campaign was further substantiated after both Kennedy brothers had worked to bail King out of jail in [[Atlanta]] after a sit-in, engaging with a [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] judge.<ref name=":272"/>

Joining the Hollywood for Kennedy committee,<ref name=":15" /> Belafonte appeared in a 1960 campaign commercial for Democratic presidential candidate [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Commercials – 1960 – Harry Belafonte |url=http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1960/harry-belafonte |access-date=November 5, 2013 |website=The Living Room Candidate}}</ref> Unfortunately, the commercial was shown on television for one broadcasting.<ref name=":03"/> Belafonte also attended and performed at Kennedy's [[United States presidential inaugural balls|inaugural ball]].<ref name=":272"/> Kennedy later named Belafonte cultural advisor to the [[Peace Corps]]. After [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|Kennedy's assassination]], Belafonte supported [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] for the [[1964 United States presidential election]].<ref>Jet, October 1, 1964</ref>