THE ESSENTIAL DICK GREGORY

A collection of pieces from the revered Black American comedian and activist.

Gregory (1932-2017) was a stand-up comedian dealing with topical issues who evolved naturally into an important social justice advocate. His son, Christian, who manages his father’s estate, compiled material from 16 books, 12 albums, “hundreds of interviews and syndicated news columns, and hundreds of hours of archival footage.” Though “skinny and underweight” as a child, he learned that "once you get a man laughing with you, it's hard for him to laugh at you." Awarded "Outstanding Athlete" at Southern Illinois University, Gregory endeavored to bring the same "dignity and honor and respect to show business as I carried to the track.” In 1960, a successful set at the Playboy Club in Chicago led to mass-media attention. The next year, Mike Wallace called him "one of America's top egghead comics" who could find humor in the "tragic problems of your race.” As Christian notes, “the funny man from the South Side was now one of the biggest names in show business.” Drawn into the civil rights movement by violence in Greenwood, Mississippi, in 1963, Gregory delivered fiery orations in Birmingham, Selma, and at college campuses nationwide. He identified himself as a "comedian, social satirist, maybe a clown. The true clown knows all the social problems." He also held hunger strikes to protest the war in Vietnam. This volume collects many impassioned speeches and his final nightclub performance as well as diet advice drawn from his role as a "nutritional guru.” “The salvation of the planet is in diet," he said in 1981. "If you see the way we disrespect our bodies, then you can see why the people who manipulate us can get by with what they can." After his death, the New York Times called him "a sledgehammer for justice,” an appropriate moniker based on the evidence presented here.

A satisfying encapsulation of the career of a seminal comedian and social justice warrior.