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Dick Gregory (1964)

Richard "Dick" Claxton Gregory, (born October 12, 1932) is an African American comedian, social activist, writer, entrepreneur, and nutritionist. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2149x2768, 572 KB) (Note: high resolution version from http://memory. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2149x2768, 572 KB) (Note: high resolution version from http://memory. ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... Social activists are people who act as the conscience and voice of many individuals within a society. ... For the computer game previously called Entrepreneur, see The Corporate Machine. ...

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, Dick Gregory is an influential African American comic who has used his performance skills to convey to both white and black audiences his political message on civil rights. Influenced to stand up for civil rights by his early surroundings of poverty and violence, Gregory became the first comedian to successfully perform for both black and white audiences. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

As a poor student who excelled at running, Gregory was aided by high school teachers such as Warren St. James and earned a track scholarship to Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His college career was interrupted by two years in the U.S. Army where he got his start in comedy, entering and winning several Army talent shows at the urging of his commanding officer, who had taken notice of his penchant for joking. After completing military service, he performed as a comedian in small, primarily black nightclubs while working for the United States Postal Service during the daytime. In 1961, he was hired by Hugh Hefner to work at the Chicago Playboy Club after Hefner heard him wow an entirely white audience with the following routine: Southern Illinois University is located in Carbondale in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The armed forces of a state are its government sponsored defense and fighting forces and organizations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the United States Government (see 39 U.S.C. Â§ 201) responsible for providing postal service in the United States. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, City of the Big Shoulders, The 312, The City that Works, Second City (reference to when Chicago was second in population and prestige to New York). ... The first issue of Playboy. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I understand there are a good many Southerners in the room tonight. I know the South very well. I spent twenty years there one night.

Last time I was down South I walked into this restaurant and this white waitress came up to me and said, "We don't serve colored people here." I said, "That's all right. I don't eat colored people. Bring me a whole fried chicken."

Then these three white boys came up to me and said, "Boy, we're givin' you fair warnin'. Anything you do to that chicken, we're gonna do to you." So I put down my knife and fork, I picked up that chicken and I kissed it. Then I said, "Line up, boys!" [1]

He soon began appearing nationally and on television and his 1964 autobiography, Nigger sold seven million copies. At the same time, he became more involved in struggles for civil rights, activism against the American War in Vietnam, economic reform, anti-drug issues, conspiracy theories, and others. As a part of his activism, he went on several hunger strikes. Gregory began his political career by running against Richard Daley for the mayoralty of Chicago in 1967. Though he did not emerge victorious, this would not prove to be the end of Dick Gregory's dalliances with electoral politics. Nigger is the autobiography of comedian Dick Gregory. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...

Gregory unsuccessfully ran for president of the United States in 1968 as a write-in candidate of the Freedom and Peace Party, which had broken off from the Peace and Freedom Party. He won 47,097 votes (including one from Hunter S. Thompson) with fellow activist Mark Lane as his running mate, garnering more than the party he had left.[2] The Freedom and Peace Party also ran other candidates, including Beulah Sanders for New York State Senate and Flora Brown for New York State Assembly.[3] His efforts landed him on the master list of Nixon political opponents. Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the persons name. ... United States Peace and Freedom Party logo The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a United States political party founded in 1967 as a leftist organization opposed to the Vietnam War. ... Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. ... The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. ... The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York Legislature body of the state of New York. ... A master list of Nixon political opponents was compiled to supplement the original Nixons Enemies List of 20 key people considered opponents of President Richard Nixon. ...

He then wrote Write Me In about his presidential campaign. One interesting anecdote in the book related the story of a publicity stunt which came out of Operation Breadbasket in Chicago where the campaign had printed hundred dollar bills with Gregory's image on them. Some of these bills made it into circulation in cash transactions causing considerable problems, but priceless publicity.

On July 21, 1979, Gregory appeared at the Amandla Festival where Bob Marley, Patti LaBelle and Eddie Palmieri, amongst others, had performed. Gregory held a speech before Marley's performance, blaming President Carter and the political failures. July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... The Amandla Festival was a world music festival that took place in the Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 21, 1979. ... Robert Nesta Marley OM (February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holt on May 24, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a legendary R&B/soul singer who fronted two very successful groups, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles and Labelle, which completely changed and birthed a new era of womens music and, in the process, has... Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936 in New York City) - pianist and bandleader. ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ...

Gregory was an outspoken activist during the US Embassy Hostage Crisis in Iran. In 1980 he traveled to Tehran to attempt to negotiate the hostages' release and engaged in a public hunger strike there, weighing less than 100 lbs (45 kg) when he returned to the United States. Iranian militants escort a blindfolded U.S. hostage to the media. ...

Gregory's education in nutrition seems dubious; in one of his cookbooks, he suggests that his readers should eat twigs because the elephant is the true king of the jungle, not the lion, and they eat twigs. Similar statements, apparently serious in nature, are also present.

However, in recent years, he has been a figure in the health food industry, becoming better known as a nutrition guru during the 1980s, advocating for a raw fruit and vegetable diet. Gregory first became a vegetarian in the 1960s, and has lost a considerable amount of weight by going on extreme fasts, some lasting upwards of 50 days. He developed a diet drink called "Bahamian Diet Nutritional Drink" and went on TV shows advocating for his diet and to help the morbidly obese. He is probably best remembered for his attempts, chronicled in the media on daytime talkshows in early 1988, at helping 1,200 pound (540 kg) Long Island man Walter Hudson drop nearly 600 pounds (270 kg) in only a few months on a liquid diet. Mr. Hudson shortly gained the weight back and later died from complications from his extreme obesity. Nonetheless, Gregory claims his diet has kept him in good health and continues to advocate for a natural diet lifestyle. Healthful eating is the act of following a balanced nutritional diet. ... Walter Hudson (c. ...

In early June 2005, during the late stages of the 2005 trial of Michael Jackson, he was invited by Jackson's father, Joseph Jackson, to advise Jackson on his health. On June 4, Gregory brought a blood-circulating machine to Jackson's house, but Jackson refused to use it. On February 26, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia, while making a speech at Soul Vegetarian, he fainted; paramedics arrived soon afterwards. The People of The State of California v. ... Joseph Walter Jackson (born July 26, 1929 in Fountain Hill, Arkansas) was the manager of the family group The Jackson 5 and is father of pop music stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Gregory married his wife Lillian in the 1960s, and they now have ten children. As of 2005, he resides in Plymouth, Massachusetts.   Settled: 1620 â€“ Incorporated: 1620 Zip Code(s): 02360 â€“ Area Code(s): 508 / 774 Official website: http://www. ...

At a Civil Rights rally marking the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, Gregory criticized the United States, calling it "the most dishonest, ungodly, unspiritual nation that ever existed in the history of the planet. As we talk now, America is 5 percent of the world's population and consumes 96 percent of the world's hard drugs," Gregory said. [4] The National Voting Rights Act of 1965 ()[1] outlawed the requirement that would-be voters in the United States take literacy tests to qualify to register to vote, and it provided for federal registration of voters in areas that had less than 50% of eligible minority voters registered. ...

He is number 81 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time and has his own star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Comedy Central is a cable television and satellite television channel in the United States and, as of January 15, 2007, in Germany [1] and Poland. ... The St. ...

Gregory is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans. ... The Greek alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Greek language since about the 9th century BCE. It was the first alphabet in the narrow sense, that is, a writing system using a separate symbol for each vowel and consonant alike. ... The terms fraternity and sorority (from the Latin words and , meaning brother and sister respectively) may be used to describe many social and charitable organizations, for example the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Delta Sigma Phi, Rotary International, Optimist International, Ordo Templi Orientis or the Shriners. ...

Gregory appears as "Mr. Sun" in the television show Wonder Showzen (the third episode, titled "Ocean", aired in 2005). As Chauncey, a puppet character, imbibes a hallucinogenic substance, Mr. Sun warns "Don't get hooked on imagination, Chauncey. It can lead to terrible, horrible things." Gregory also provides guest commentary on the Wonder Showzen Season One DVD. Large segments of his commentary were intentionally bleeped out, including the names of several dairy companies, as he makes possibly slanderous remarks concerning the alleged ill effects that consumption of cow milk has on humans. Wonder Showzen is an American sketch comedy television series that began airing in 2005 on MTV2. ...

Gregory attended and spoke at the funeral of James Brown on December 30, 2006 in Augusta, GA.

Albums

• In Living Black and White (1961)
• East & West (1961)
• Dick Gregory Talks Turkey (1962)
• The Two Sides of Dick Gregory (1963)
• Dick Gregory Running for President (1964)
• So You See... We All Have Problems
• Dick Gregory On: (1969)
• The Light Side: The Dark Side (1969)
• Dick Gregory's Frankenstein (1970)
• Live at the Village Gate (1970)
• At Kent State (1971)
• Caught in the Act (1974)
• The Best of Dick Gregory (1997)

Books

• Nigger: an autobiography, by Dick Gregory with Robert Lipsyte, Pocket Books, (Simon and Schuster), 1964. (one account says 1963) ISBN 0-671-62611-6
• Write me in!, Bantam, 1968.
• From the Back of the Bus
• What's Happening?
• The Shadow that Scares Me
• Dick Gregory's Bible Tales, with Commentary, a book of Bible-based humor. ISBN 0-8128-6194-9
• Dick Gregory's Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat: Cookin' With Mother Nature!
• (with Shelia P. Moses), Callus on My Soul : A Memoir ISBN 0-7582-0202-4
• Up from Nigger
• No More Lies; The Myth and the Reality of American History
• Dick Gregory's political primer
• (with Mark Lane), Murder in Memphis: The FBI and the Assassination of Martin Luther King
• (with Mel Watkins), African American Humor: The Best Black Comedy from Slavery to Today (Library of Black America)
• Robert Lee Green, Dick Gregory, daring Black leader
• African American Humor: The Best Black Comedy from Slavery to Today (editor) ISBN 1-55652-430-7

This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ...

Filmography

• "One Bright Shining Moment" (2006)
• The Hot Chick (2002)
• Children of the Struggle (1999)
• Panther (1995)
• Sweet Love, Bitter (1967)

Source: IMDb

See also

• American Civil Rights Movement (1896-1954)
• African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
• Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

See also: American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) The civil rights movement in the United States has been a long, primarily nonviolent struggle to bring full civil rights and equality under the law to all Americans. ... Prominent figures of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. ... This is a timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement. ...

External links

• Dick Gregory: the Color of Funny documentary film
• www.dickgregory.com Dick Gregory Global Watch
• A short biography from www.dickgregory.com
• St. Louis Walk of Fame
• Dick Gregory Photographs in the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at the University of Missouri-St. Louis

• The Juice on Dick Gregory (dietary habits)
• Dick Gregory biography and video interview excerpts by The National Visionary Leadership Project

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Dick Gregory