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Comedian, activist, businessman, author and nutritionist Dick Gregory will
speak at 8 p.m. Oct. 26 in Memorial Hall.
Gregory, who recently released Callus on My Soul:a Memoir, will speak on his
political activism, participation in the civil rights movement and success as a
nutrition guru.
Proceeds from the program, titled "For the People," will support the
University's Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center (BCC).
"Dick Gregory has spent his whole life as an activist for causes he believes
in, whether it's integration, civil rights or the plight of the homeless," said
Harry Amana, interim BCC director and professor of journalism and mass
communication. "And he has something thought-provoking to say on every one of
those topics."
Gregory is recognized as the first black comedian to perform political and
racial humor before white and mixed audiences. Born in poverty in St. Louis in
1932, he rose to national prominence after a stint at Chicago's Playboy Club in
1961.
"His humor was never slapstick," Amana said. "It was intelligent. It was
satirical. It was social commentary."
Gregory also became active in civil rights in the 1960s, befriending Martin
Luther King Jr. and participating in numerous demonstrations. He ran for mayor
of Chicago in 1966 and the U.S. presidency in 1968.
In the 1970s, Gregory left comedy to concentrate entirely on his activism,
which he expanded to include issues such as world peace, hunger, Native
American life, drug abuse and health care. He attracted attention with his
participation in hunger fasts and marathons to protest society's ills.
"He's been around for a long time, and he's made a positive impact on the
community and the nation," said Lorie Clark, BCC program coordinator. "A lot of
the efforts that he's put forth, in terms of his hunger strikes, have moved
beyond African Americans. It's more about issues of humanity."
Gregory became involved in nutritional health in the 1980s, developing a
nutrition program geared toward blacks. He blamed the lower life expectancy of
blacks on poor nutrition and drug and alcohol abuse and built a successful
business, Dick Gregory Health Enterprises, around the dietary supplement,
"Bahamian Diet," that he developed.
He has also written several books, including the autobiographical classic
Nigger (1964).
Tickets are $25 for the general public, $15 for balcony seating and $10 for
students. Patron seats are available at $75 apiece or two for $125.
For ticket information, contact the Carolina Union Box Office at 2-1449.
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