Last month, Harry Belafonte died at the age of 96. An EGOT-winning actor and singer of blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards (and singer on the first ever million-selling album), he was also a humanitarian and political activist throughout his life. He was also a close confidant of Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The recent memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story reveals a story Belafonte shared with fellow singer-activists Bono and Bob Geldof about one particular interaction he had with MLK in 1961, which might have something to offer each of us this week; it is worth reading in full.
Belafonte (as quoted by Bono):
“When Jack Kennedy appointed Bobby to attorney general in ’61, it was such a setback to our struggle that it caused one of the most heated debates we ever had at the SCLC [Southern Christian Leadership Conference]. Everyone in the room was sounding off about Bobby Kennedy. How he lacked the inspiration of his brother John, the president. That he was known to have warned JFK off trying to reconcile our agenda with that of the Democratic Party. Bobby was sure that if the White House got too close to the civil rights movement, it would cost the Democrats dear in the South, where holding the highest office in the land as a Catholic was already a stretch.”
“Martin [Luther King, Jr.] slams his hand on the table to snap everyone out of it. ‘Does anyone here have anything positive to say about our new attorney general?’ ”
“No, Martin, that’s what we’re telling you,” comes the reply. “There’s nothin’ good about this man; he’s an Irish redneck, got no time for the Black man’s struggle.”
Dr. King, said Harry, had heard enough and adjourned the meeting.
“Gentlemen, I’m releasing you into the world to find one positive thing to say about Bobby Kennedy, because that one positive thing will be the door through which our movement will have to pass.”
Sure enough, over time the group was able to find a connection point: Bobby Kennedy’s close faith connection to his bishop, who was in turn close to many in the SCLC. The group had found their door to move through, and, as Belafonte reflected, Kennedy went on to be a trusted ally and a true leader in the movement.
Bono reflects on this story as lifechanging for him as an activist: “The search for common ground starts with a search for higher ground. Even with your opponents. Especially with your opponents. … The simple but profound idea that you don’t have to agree on everything if the one thing you do agree on is important enough.”
How might this be helpful for us in our work world this week?
This Week’s Tip:
Seek the door through which an idea will pass. Perhaps you’re preparing for a challenging conversation, or maybe it’s a sales presentation. Either way, look for common ground by focusing on higher ground. This might come from looking for points of commonality with those you view as ‘opponents’ or ‘in your way’ – core beliefs or shared goals. You may feel tempted to remind them of those shared beliefs, but you might be best served by reminding yourself of them – what does that do to you? How does it change how you think of them? How you treat them? What does that make possible?
Try this out this week, and let us know how it goes! We’d love to hear from you.
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Building Bridges Leadership 