Wanted: Dick Gregory

A poster, set out like a wanted poster, with text advertising a performance by the American satirist and comedian Dick Gregory, whose 'mug shot' appears across the top of the poster. Richard Claxton 'Dick' Gregory (b.1932) is an African-American civil rights activist and comedian who began performing in 1961. His shows 'changed the way white Americans perceived African American comedians'. He became a nationally known headline performer at nightclubs, making numerous national television appearances and recording popular comedy albums. He began performing comedy during the mid 1950s while serving in the Army. Returning to Illinois University after his discharge in 1956, he did not complete his degree, instead moving to Chicago in the hope of performing comedy professionally. Here he became part of a new generation of comedians that included Nipsey Russell, Bill Cosby and Godfrey Cambridge. These comedians broke with the ministrel tradition, which presented stereotypical black characters. Gregory drew upon current events, especially racial issues, for much of his comedy material. While a student, he developed a strong sense of social justice, becoming a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and was subequently involved in the civil rights movement, using his celebrity status to raise the profile of issues such as segregation and disenfranchisement. Throughout the 1960s, Gregory spent more time on social issues and less time involved with comedy. He participated in marches and parades associated with a range of causes, including opposition to the Vietnam War, world peace and drug abuse. In the late 1960s he entered politics, running for President in 1968 as a write-in candidate for the Freedom and Peace Party, receiving 1.5 million votes. Gregory's activism has continued into the 1990s when he began a campaign to fight crime and drug addiction in St.Louis neighbourhoods.