Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Comedy with comedian Dick Gregory (video)

Comedian Dick Gregory, Host Amy Goodman (DemocracyNow.org, Aug. 21, 2017); Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon, CC Liu, (eds), Wisdom Quarterly


Dick Gregory in his own words: Remembering the pioneering comedian and civil rights activist
I don't like this black guy, troublemaker.
In a special broadcast today, Democracy Now! remembers legendary black comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, who passed away this past Saturday in Washington, D.C. at the age of 84.
  • Dick Gregory was a pioneering comedian and civil rights activist who passed away on Aug. 19, 2017, age 84.
Democracy Now! Host Amy Goodman
Gregory became one of the most popular comedians in the country, paving the way for generations of African-American comedians. On Sunday Chris Rock wrote on Instagram:

"We lost a king. They’ll never be another. Read his books. Look him up you won’t be disappointed. Unfortunately the America that produced Dick Gregory still exists."

Dick Gregory was the first African-American comedian to sit on the couch of The Tonight Show, then hosted by Jack Parr [before Johnny Carson got the job]. As his popularity grew, so did his activism.

ARCHIVES: Dick Gregory LIVE in 2002
In 1967, Dick Gregory ran for mayor of Chicago against the infamous Richard Daley. He was a close friend of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and in 1968 he ran for president against Richard Nixon.

Dr. Greg Carr, chair of Afro-American Studies at Howard University and a friend of Gregory, described him as a perpetual student. “His intellectual capacity was honed to precision with a lifetime of deep study,” Carr told Diverse Magazine.

Democracy Now! features Dick Gregory in his own words in a 2002 interview with the comedian in DN's old firehouse studio. He was first interviewed just months after Democracy Now! went on television. More + Transcript

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