Dick Gregory and the History of Black Comedy featuring Author and Critic Mel Watkins

Mel Watkins, the author of, “On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy,” and “Stepin Fetchit: The Life and Times of Lincoln Perry,” was a special guest for AAAS 331: Dick Gregory and the History of Black Comedy course taught at Duke University. The course is taught by Prof. Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Professor of African & African American Studies, with the support of Dr. Christian C. Gregory, executor of the Estate of Dick Gregory and the Estate of Jenny Lillian Semans Koortbojian. A former editor, writer, and critic for the New York Times Sunday Book Review; since 2007, Watkins has been the NEH Professor of the Humanities at Colgate University where he has taught courses on literature and African American. His articles and reviews have appeared in numerous national magazines and newspapers, including the NY Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, and he has frequently appeared as a commentator on televised documentaries about American culture and humor The 6:15 p.m.-7:30 p.m. class was free and open to the public on Thursdays during Fall 2019 where it was held at the North Star Church of the Arts, a converted church founded by Nnena and Phil Freelon that serves as “a sacred space for healing, creative expression and spiritual connectivity.” ABOUT THE COURSE AAAS 331: Black Popular Culture Dick Gregory and the History of Black Comedy At the peak of his fame in the 1960s, Dick Gregory may have been the most influential comedian in America, offering truths about race, the Black community and politics in an era highlighted by the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. Dick Gregory and the History of Black Comedy will examine the roots of the Black comedic tradition that informed Gregory’s art and activism, with a particular focus, in the spirit of Mr. Gregory, on the ways in which Black comedy has been used in the quest for civil and human rights. The course also highlights the role of Black literary satire, including the work of George Schuyler and Ollie Harrington, as well as contemporary examples such as novelists Danzy Senna, Kiese Laymon, Paul Beatty, and Fran Ross, cartoonist Aaron McGruder, comedians Issa Rae, Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes, Chris Rock and, even critical race theorist and legal scholar Derrick Bell.