AUBURN GRESHAM — Comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory will speak at St. Sabina Church on Friday as part of an African-American speaker series hosted by the church.
The free event is from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at 1210 W. 78th Place.
Gregory was first introduced to the comedy scene in 1961 when Chicago’s Playboy Club hired him as a temporary replacement for a white comedian for a few weeks. That first night was such a success that the comedy club offered him a three-year contract.
Only a year later, he was a nationally known headline performer, according to his website’s bio. Gregory sold out nightclubs, made national television appearances and even recorded popular comedy albums.
Gregory had always been active in social justice issues, so as his name spread, the comedian used his celebrity status to bring attention to issues like segregation and disfranchisement during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
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