Belafonte highlights human rights in developing world at 1983 luncheon

This Week In National Press Club History

July 7, 1983: Harry Belafonte, popular singer and social activist, speaks about human rights in the developing world at a National Press Club luncheon. Over the years, many other entertainers, including singer-songwriter John Denver, hip-hop star Chris ”Ludacris” Bridges, folk singer Joan Baez, and pop and R & B singer Dionne Warwick, have brought attention to pressing social issues, including literacy, world hunger, genocide, and AIDS, at the Club.

July 12, 1984: The irrepressible Howard Cosell previews the upcoming Los Angeles Summer Olympics. From the 1960s through the 1980s, the ABC sportscaster dominated ringside and the broadcast booth with his brash commentary and outsized personality.

This Week In National Press Club History is brought to you by the History & Heritage Committee, which preserves and revitalizes the Club’s century-long history through lobby displays, panel discussions, events and its oral history project.

For information on the activities of the committee, or to join it, contact Chair Gil Klein at [email protected]. Check out the Club’s website for much more on the Club’s distinguished history.