During Black History Month we normally pay tribute to well-known black activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcom X. But by now most of us already know the contributions these famous individuals made to American culture and to the struggle against racism in the United States.
Each February I notice that since it’s more customary to celebrate Black intellectual and political achievements, almost no attention gets paid to the cultural importance of the black comedian. So as we transition into March, I’d like to salute the black entertainers whose main career goal is to make people laugh.
Now, I’m not trying to downplay the contributions of black political leaders. I mean, civil rights pioneers were genuine heroes and should be as revered as such. I just wanna shine a light on one overlooked and very valuable thing that most people don’t even consider during Black History Month. And that is Comedy.
Clever comedians relieve humanity’s stress during hard times by making us chuckle at the ironies of life. Whether it’s crass physical humor or a sophisticated political zinger, something funny can make you forget something sad. A real genius like a Richard Pryor can even make jokes about accidentally setting himself on fire. The lesson here is, if the truth hurts, sometimes hearing the right joke about it can make it hurt less. That’s why this article is dedicated to Black America’s Kings and Queens of comedy.
Obviously I won’t discuss every black comedian, or we’d be here all day. I’m just going to talk about the 3 black comedians that I think are probably the most significant.
“Moms” in her onstage character.
The earliest example of a professional black comedian I could find was Jackie “Moms” Mabley. Moms Mabley was born March 19th, 1894, and when she was only 14 she left home to pursue a career in entertainment. In the 1920’s she was an attraction at the notorious Cotton Club, but by the 1930’s she was headlining at the Apollo Theatre, and had already starred in a Broadway play. She even appeared in several films during the 1940s.
What “Moms” is best known for today are her often raunchy stand-up routines. Biography.com describes them as: “riotous affairs augmented by the aesthetic she presented by being an older, housedress-clad figure who provided sly commentary on racial bigotry to African-American audiences.” Mabley was adept at addressing the problems black communities faced, while also doing what she set out to do; make people laugh.
A young, irreverent Dick Gregory.
Another innovative early black comedian was Dick Gregory. Dick was born in 1932 in St.Louis, Missouri. He grew up without a father, with a hard working mother and 5 siblings. In addition to these hardships, Dick was bullied as a child at school. How he dealt with his bullies, however, is quite amazing. What he would do, was to try to make them laugh. He thought that if they were going to laugh, it’s better to have them laugh with him, than at him.
Eventually Gregory was drafted into the army, and while there he started to do stand-up. He won a talent contest, and became part of the army’s entertainment division. (Yes, it’s a thing). When Gregory came back to the U.S, he became a national comedy headliner. In fact, he was the first ever black comedian to go on the “Tonight Show” and be treated like every other top white celebrity that came on the show.
Outside of comedy he was an activist during the Civil Rights Movement, and was friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He also ran for mayor of Chicago and for president, although he didn’t win either office. Today, although he has internet posts about everything from fad diets to conspiracy theories, people remember Dick Gregory best for his political comedic stylings, and his focus on the Civil Rights Movement.
The always feisty Chris Rock.
Finally, the most recent comedian in this overview is Chris Rock. Personally, I really like Chris Rock, specifically his work on Everybody Hates Chris. This TV series on its own is phenomenal, but Everybody Hates Chris is not the only thing Chris Rock is famous for.
Chris Rock grew up in Brooklyn, attending an all white school which gave him a lot of material. Like many other Black comedians Chris Rock is known for his raw, sexy humour which bars no holds. Rock was discovered by Eddie Murphy, and just like him, he briefly joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. He has done a ton of acting work (you may know him as the voice to “Marty” from the animated Madagascar movies). But he is notable specifically for his stand-up performances, from which he took a long break in favour of acting. He recently returned to stand-up with his Netflix comedy special Tamborine in 2018.
I will say though, in my opinion, Everybody Hates Chris is his magnum opus and really defines his work. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do.