Julie Robinson Belafonte, a dancer, actress, and one half of an interracial power couple along with singer Harry Belafonte, passed away on March 9 in Los Angeles at the age of 95. Her death was announced by her family and occurred at an assisted living facility in the Studio City neighborhood, where she had been residing for the past year and a half. Prior to that, she had lived in Manhattan for several decades.
Ms. Belafonte, who was white and the second wife of Black Caribbean-American entertainer and activist Mr. Belafonte, had a diverse career in the arts. She was a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, actress, and documentary film producer at various points. Together with her husband and their children, she traveled the nation and the world during Mr. Belafonte’s concert tours in the late 1950s and ’60s, showcasing a close interracial family image that was uncommon in mainstream media at the time.
She was instrumental in organizing and hosting fundraisers for civil rights groups such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Ms. Belafonte’s efforts were remembered during a memorial service for Mr. Belafonte in March.
Born Julia Mary Robinson in Manhattan in 1928 to parents of Russian Jewish descent, she grew up in an interracial environment and attended the High School of Music and Art. After winning a scholarship to the Katherine Dunham School of Dance, she pursued a dance career and became the school’s first white student-teacher. She later joined Ms. Dunham’s all-Black dance company as its first white member.
In Hollywood, Ms. Robinson choreographed dance sequences in films and appeared in movies like “Mambo” and “Lust for Life.” She met Mr. Belafonte on the set of “Carmen Jones” and later married him in a controversial interracial union. Despite facing criticism for their relationship, the couple continued to break barriers for interracial couples in America.
Throughout their 50-year marriage, Ms. Belafonte supported Mr. Belafonte’s civil rights activism and also championed her own causes. She participated in events like the Selma to Montgomery march and organized a women’s march against the Vietnam War with Coretta Scott King. Her influence extended to diplomatic circles, where she facilitated communication between Cuba and the United States during a time of strained relations.
Ms. Belafonte’s legacy as a trailblazer for civil rights and integration, both alongside her husband and independently, continues to inspire generations to come.
