Harry Belafonte was born in Harlem during the middle of the Harlem Renaissance era. He grew up to be a musician and civil rights activist. His styles of music ranged from Carribean music to folk music. One of his most influencial songs during the Civil Rights Movement was Back of the Bus. Today, this song is a commonly taught to children learning about the Civil Rights Movement, like the children in this video.

If you miss me at the back of the bus
You can't find me nowhere
Oh come
on over to the front of the bus
Because I'll be riding up there
I'll be
riding up there, I'll be riding up there
Come on over to the front of the
bus
Because I'll be riding up there

If you miss me on the picket
line
You can't find me nowhere
Come on over to the city jail
Because
I'll be rooming over there
I'll be rooming over there
I'll be rooming over
there oh
Come on over to the city jail

Because I'll be rooming over
there

If you miss me at the Mississippi river
You can't find me
nowhere
Come on over to the swimming pool
Because I'll be swimming over
there
I'll be swimming over there, over there
I'll be swimming right
there
Come on over to the swimming pool
Because I'll be swimming over
there

If you miss me in the cotton fields
You can't find me
nowhere
Come on over to the boating booth
Because I'll be a boating right
there
I'll be boating right there, right there
I'll be boating right
there
Well come on over to the boating booth
Because I'll be boating right
there

-http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Harry-Belafonte/Back-Of-The-Bus.html

This song is a great representation of the Civl Rights Movement. It covers some of the main events of the movement as well as mentioning some of the rights people were fighting for. Harry Belafonte is refferring to Rosa Parks in the first verse when he is talking about sitting in the back of the bus. He also discusses being arrested after being part of picket lines. His song also talks about being able to swim in swimming pools, an event once thought to only be accessible by white people, and boating instead of working the cotton fields, a job once commonly done by African American slaves.