R.I.P. Dick Gregory

“I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that” - Dick Gregory

(Dick Gregory)

Dick Gregory was born as Richard Gregory on October 12th, 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Gregory earned a track scholarship to Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He set school records in track and field. In 1954 he was drafted into the US Army. While in the Army he got into comedy and entered several talent shows. In 1956 he returned to college. He then dropped out of college. He then moved to Chicago, IL and worked alongside other comics such as Nipsey Russell and Bill Cosby. Gregory spoke about social and racial issues in his comedy. In 1958 he opened a nightclub in Illinois. In 1959 Gregory landed a job as master of ceremonies at the Roberts Show Club. He worked in the US post office during the day and at night as a comedian.

(Gregory performing)

Also in 1959 he married Lillian Smith. He was then hired by Hugh Hefner at the Chicago Playboy Club. He then starred on the “Late Night Show Starring Jack Paar”. In the early 1960’s he became vegetarian. In 1963 he spoke in Selma, AL.

(Gregory in 1963)

In 1964 he protested against the Vietnam War and other social issues. In 1967 he ran for mayor of Chicago, IL.

(Gregory in 1967)

In 1968 he ran as a write in candidate for president of the US. In 1975 he appeared on “Goodnight America”.

(Gregory in 1975)

In 1978 he was apart of the National ERA March for Ratification and Extension. In 1979 he appeared at the Amandla Festival where Bob Marley, Patti LaBelle and others performed.

(Gregory (Left) and Bob Marley (Right))

In 1980 he traveled to Tehran, Iran to attempt to negotiate the US hostages' release. In 1984 he founded Health Enterprises, Inc.

(Gregory in 1984)

In 1985 he made a powdered diet mix. In 1998 Gregory spoke at the celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with President Bill Clinton.

(Gregory (Left) with Richard Pryor (Right) in 1998)

In 1999 he was diagnosed with lymphoma. In 2003 Gregory and Cornel West wrote letters on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to Kentucky Fried Chicken's CEO, asking that the company improve their animal handling procedures.

(Gregory in 2003)

In 2006 he spoke at James Brown’s funeral. In 2010 he did a hunger strike against the official U.S. report about the attacks on September 11, 2001 and how they are false.

(Gregory in 2010)

In 2013 Gregory gave a speech at Bryn Mawr College. In 2016 a play was made about him.

(Gregory in 2016)

In 2017 he was hospitalized with a bacterial infection.

(Gregory in 2017)

On August 19th, 2017 Dick Gregory died due to heart failure. Take time to remember this great comedian today.

Albums by Dick Gregory

• “In Living Black and White” (1961)
• “East & West” (1961)
• “Dick Gregory Talks Turkey” (1962)
• “The Two Sides of Dick Gregory” (1963)
• “My Brother's Keeper” (1963)
• “Dick Gregory Running for President” (1964)
• “So You See... We All Have Problems” (1964)
• “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)
• “21st Century "State of the Union"” (2001)
• “You Don't Know Dick” (2016)

Books by Dick Gregory

• Nigger (1964)
• Write me in! (1968)

Films starring Dick Gregory

• Sweet Love, Bitter (1967) as Richie Stokes
• Panther (1995) as Rev. Slocum
• Children of the Struggle (1999) as Vernon Lee
• The Hot Chick (2002) as bathroom attendant

Videos of Dick Gregory

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkQ4OCNecXs  “Back in the Day/Dick Gregory 1962”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwKKHwrO3pM  “Dick Gregory reflects on the Civil Rights Movement”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej5FwzhUDcM  “Martin Lawrence 1st Amendment Stand Up: Dick Gregory”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M267xj8THk  “Dick Gregory At Comedy Arts Festival”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItJO7VOXe8w  “Dick Gregory - "They Killed Prince" (RBTV Exclusive)”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpypmMXikZM  “Dick Gregory - On Michael Jackson and Tupac”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UofbZVTIYMU  “Dick Gregory presidential candidacy interview, 1968”

(P.S. sorry for the late post)

Happy Birthday Satchel Paige

“Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching” - Satchel Paige

(Satchel Paige)

Satchel Paige was born as Leroy Page on July 7th, 1906 in Mobile, Alabama, USA. In the mid 1920’s his parents changed their last name to “Paige”. He got the name “Satchel” from a job toting bags at a train station. At age 10 Paige got interested in baseball. At age 13 he was arrested for shoplifting. he was committed to the Industrial School for Negro Children in Mount Meigs, AL, the state reform school. He was at the school until he was 18. While at the school he focused on his pitching skills. In 1923 he was released from the school. He then played for semi pro teams. In 1926 Paige joined the Chattanooga White Sox of the minor Negro Southern League.

(Paige in 1926)

In 1927 Paige's contract was sold to the Birmingham Black Barons of the major Negro National League. In his first big game in late June 1927, against the St. Louis Stars, Paige incited a brawl when his fastball hit the hand of St. Louis catcher Mitchell Murray. Murray then charged the mound and Paige raced for the dugout, but Murray flung his bat and struck Paige above the hip. He finished the 1927 season 7–1 with 69 strikeouts and 26 walks in 89 ⅓ innings. In 1929 Paige went 12–5 and 10–9 while recording 176 strikeouts. Paige then played winter baseball in Cuba. In 1930 he was leased to the Baltimore Black Sox. He was then leased to the Chicago American Giants. In 1931 Paige went to the Cleveland Cubs.

(Paige in 1931)

Paige then moved to the Crawford Colored Giants. He then joined a Negro all star team. He finished that season with a 6–0 record and 70 strikeouts in 58 innings. In 1932 Paige took the mound when the Crawfords opened the season on April 30 in their newly built stadium, Greenlee Field, the first completely black owned stadium in the country. Paige went 10–4, allowing 3.19 runs per game and striking out 92 in 132 ⅔  innings. In 1934 Paige had his best season he went 14–2 in league games while allowing 2.16 runs per game, recording 144 strikeouts, and giving up only 26 walks. Paige received his first East West All Star Game selection in 1934. In 1935 Paige dominated, with a 29–2 record, 321 strikeouts, and only 16 walks. Paige was banned from the NNL for the 1935 season for jumping to the Bismarck team. He was then signed to the Kansas City Monarchs.

(Paige in 1935)

In 1936 Paige returned to Pittsburgh. Paige went 5–0, allowed 3.21 runs per game, and struck out 47 in 47 2/3 innings. In 1937 Paige played in the Dominican Republic. In 1938 he went to play in Mexico. He suffered an arm injury while in Mexico causing him to be out of work. In 1939 he returned to baseball. He then played baseball in Puerto Rico. He ended the season with a 19–3 record, a 1.93 ERA, and 208 strikeouts in 205 innings. In 1940 Paige went to play for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1941 Paige played for the New York Black Yankees.

(Paige in 1941)

In the 1942 East West All-Star Game Paige allowed three runs on five hits and was charged with the loss in the 5–2 game. Paige was the reason for the Monarchs winning the 1942 Negro World Series. In 1943 Paige was the West's starting pitcher in the East West All Star Game. The West won. In the 1946 Negro World Series the Monarchs faced the Newark Eagles. Paige didn't play for game 7 of the series and the Monarchs lost. In 1948 Paige joined the MLB team, The Cleveland Indians. Paige became the oldest man ever to debut in the major leagues, at the age of 42 years old. Paige ended the 1948 season with a 6–1 record with a 2.48 ERA, 2 shutouts, 43 strikeouts, 22 walks and 61 base hits allowed in 72 2/3 innings.

(Paige in 1948)

In the 1949 season he ended the season with a 4–7 record and was 1–3 in his starts with a 3.04 ERA. In 1950 he signed with the Philadelphia Stars in the Eastern Division of the NAL. In 1951 Paige signed with the St. Louis Browns. He ended the season with a 3–4 record and a 4.79 ERA. In 1952 Paige finished the year 12–10 with a 3.07 ERA. In 1953 Paige ended the year with a disappointing 3–9 record, but a respectable 3.53 ERA. Paige then joined the basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters. Paige would "pitch" the basketball to Goose Tatum, who would "bat" the ball with his arms, run around the "bases" and slide "home" safely. Paige never actually played on the team, though.

(Paige apart of the Harlem Globetrotters)

In 1955 Paige signed a contract with the Greensboro Patriots of the Carolina League. Paige finished the season 11–4 with an ERA of 1.86 with 79 strikeouts and only 28 walks. In 1957 Paige had a 10–8 record with 76 strikeouts versus 11 walks and 2.42 ERA. In 1961 Paige signed on with the Triple-A Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League. In 1965 Paige signed with the Kansas City Athletics.

(Paige in 1965)

In 1966 Paige pitched in his last game in organized baseball. In 1968 Paige assumed the position of deputy sheriff in Jackson County, MO. In 1969 he became a pitching coach. In 1971 Paige was the first member of the Negro wing of the Hall of Fame.

(Paige in 1971)

In 1980 Paige was named vice-president of the Triple A Springfield Cardinals. On June 8th, 1982 Satchel Paige died of a heart attack in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He was 75 years old.

(Paige’s grave)

Today is his 111th birthday and we would all like to say happy birthday and rest in peace Satchel Paige.

Videos of Satchel Paige

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA3TLzWAOE0  “Satchel Paige.”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3q2TeFuTq8  “Satchel Paige Pitching Footage (No Sound)”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA0LyX8H-q4  “Satchel Paige on Satchel's Age -- And Other Topics”  

Anniversary of Satchel Paige's Death

“Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching” - Satchel Paige

(Satchel Paige)

Satchel Paige was born as Leroy Page on July 7th, 1906 in Mobile, Alabama, USA. In the mid 1920’s his parents changed their last name to “Paige”. He got the name “Satchel” from a job toting bags at a train station. At age 10 Paige got interested in baseball. At age 13 he was arrested for shoplifting. he was committed to the Industrial School for Negro Children in Mount Meigs, AL, the state reform school. He was at the school until he was 18. While at the school he focused on his pitching skills. In 1923 he was released from the school. He then played for semi pro teams. In 1926 Paige joined the Chattanooga White Sox of the minor Negro Southern League.

(Paige in 1926)

In 1927 Paige's contract was sold to the Birmingham Black Barons of the major Negro National League. In his first big game in late June 1927, against the St. Louis Stars, Paige incited a brawl when his fastball hit the hand of St. Louis catcher Mitchell Murray. Murray then charged the mound and Paige raced for the dugout, but Murray flung his bat and struck Paige above the hip. He finished the 1927 season 7–1 with 69 strikeouts and 26 walks in 89 ⅓ innings. In 1929 Paige went 12–5 and 10–9 while recording 176 strikeouts. Paige then played winter baseball in Cuba. In 1930 he was leased to the Baltimore Black Sox. He was then leased to the Chicago American Giants. In 1931 Paige went to the Cleveland Cubs.

(Paige in 1931)

Paige then moved to the Crawford Colored Giants. He then joined a Negro all star team. He finished that season with a 6–0 record and 70 strikeouts in 58 innings. In 1932 Paige took the mound when the Crawfords opened the season on April 30 in their newly built stadium, Greenlee Field, the first completely black owned stadium in the country. Paige went 10–4, allowing 3.19 runs per game and striking out 92 in 132 ⅔  innings. In 1934 Paige had his best season he went 14–2 in league games while allowing 2.16 runs per game, recording 144 strikeouts, and giving up only 26 walks. Paige received his first East West All Star Game selection in 1934. In 1935 Paige dominated, with a 29–2 record, 321 strikeouts, and only 16 walks. Paige was banned from the NNL for the 1935 season for jumping to the Bismarck team. He was then signed to the Kansas City Monarchs.

(Paige in 1935)

In 1936 Paige returned to Pittsburgh. Paige went 5–0, allowed 3.21 runs per game, and struck out 47 in 47 2/3 innings. In 1937 Paige played in the Dominican Republic. In 1938 he went to play in Mexico. He suffered an arm injury while in Mexico causing him to be out of work. In 1939 he returned to baseball. He then played baseball in Puerto Rico. He ended the season with a 19–3 record, a 1.93 ERA, and 208 strikeouts in 205 innings. In 1940 Paige went to play for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1941 Paige played for the New York Black Yankees.

(Paige in 1941)

In the 1942 East West All-Star Game Paige allowed three runs on five hits and was charged with the loss in the 5–2 game. Paige was the reason for the Monarchs winning the 1942 Negro World Series. In 1943 Paige was the West's starting pitcher in the East West All Star Game. The West won. In the 1946 Negro World Series the Monarchs faced the Newark Eagles. Paige didn't play for game 7 of the series and the Monarchs lost. In 1948 Paige joined the MLB team, The Cleveland Indians. Paige became the oldest man ever to debut in the major leagues, at the age of 42 years old. Paige ended the 1948 season with a 6–1 record with a 2.48 ERA, 2 shutouts, 43 strikeouts, 22 walks and 61 base hits allowed in 72 2/3 innings.

(Paige in 1948)

In the 1949 season he ended the season with a 4–7 record and was 1–3 in his starts with a 3.04 ERA. In 1950 he signed with the Philadelphia Stars in the Eastern Division of the NAL. In 1951 Paige signed with the St. Louis Browns. He ended the season with a 3–4 record and a 4.79 ERA. In 1952 Paige finished the year 12–10 with a 3.07 ERA. In 1953 Paige ended the year with a disappointing 3–9 record, but a respectable 3.53 ERA. Paige then joined the basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters. Paige would "pitch" the basketball to Goose Tatum, who would "bat" the ball with his arms, run around the "bases" and slide "home" safely. Paige never actually played on the team, though.

(Paige apart of the Harlem Globetrotters)

In 1955 Paige signed a contract with the Greensboro Patriots of the Carolina League. Paige finished the season 11–4 with an ERA of 1.86 with 79 strikeouts and only 28 walks. In 1957 Paige had a 10–8 record with 76 strikeouts versus 11 walks and 2.42 ERA. In 1961 Paige signed on with the Triple-A Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League. In 1965 Paige signed with the Kansas City Athletics.

(Paige in 1965)

In 1966 Paige pitched in his last game in organized baseball. In 1968 Paige assumed the position of deputy sheriff in Jackson County, MO. In 1969 he became a pitching coach. In 1971 Paige was the first member of the Negro wing of the Hall of Fame.

(Paige in 1971)

In 1980 Paige was named vice-president of the Triple A Springfield Cardinals. On June 8th, 1982 Satchel Paige died of a heart attack in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He was 75 years old.

(Paige’s grave)

Today is the 35th anniversary of his death. Take time to remember this great athlete today.

Videos of Satchel Paige

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA3TLzWAOE0  “Satchel Paige.”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3q2TeFuTq8  “Satchel Paige Pitching Footage (No Sound)”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA0LyX8H-q4  “Satchel Paige on Satchel's Age -- And Other Topics”

Anniversary of Maya Angelou's Death

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” - Maya Angelou

(Maya Angelou)

Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4th, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Johnson was nicknamed “Maya” by her older brother. At 3 years old Johnson was sent with her siblings to live with their grandmother in Stamps, AR. At 7 years old she was brought with her siblings to live with their mother in St. Louis, MO. At 8 years old Johnson was sexually abused and raped by her mother’s boyfriend. He was jailed for 1 day and 4 days later was killed by one of Johnson’s uncles. Her siblings and her were then brought back to Stamps, AR with their grandmother.

(Johnson as a child)

At 14 years old she moved with her mother in Oakland, CA. While in high school she worked as the first black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco, CA. At 17 years old she gave birth to her son Clyde Johnson. In 1951 she married Greek electrician, former sailor, and aspiring musician Tosh Angelos. With her new husband and son she moved to New York City, NY and she studied African Dance.

(Angelou as a dancer)

A year later they returned to San Francisco, CA. In 1954 she got a divorce. She danced professionally in clubs around San Francisco. She then changed her name to “Maya Angelou”. From 1954 to 1955 Angelou toured Europe with a production of the opera “Porgy and Bess”. During the 1950’s Angelou became friends with James Baldwin.

(James Baldwin (Left) with Angelou (Right))

In 1957 Angelou released her 1st album “Miss Calypso”. In 1959 Angelou moved to New York City, NY to concentrate on her writing career. In 1960 Angelou met Dr. King and heard him speak. Angelou joined the SCLC and became its Northern Coordinator. Angelou also began her pro-Castro and anti-apartheid activism during this time. In 1961 Angelou performed in Jean Genet's play “The Blacks”. Also in 1961 Angelou and her son moved to Cairo, Egypt. Angelou then moved to Accra, Ghana. Angelou became an administrator at the University of Ghana. She became a freelance writer for the “Ghanaian Times”, wrote and broadcast for Radio Ghana, and worked and performed for Ghana's National Theatre. While in Accra Angelou became good friends with Malcolm X during his visit to Ghana.

(Malcolm X (Left) with Angelou (Right))

In 1965 Angelou returned to the U.S. After the death of Malcolm X, Angelou moved to Hawaii to work on her singing career, then moved to Los Angeles, CA to work on her writing career. She worked as a market researcher in Watts, CA and witnessed the riots in the summer of 1965. In 1967 she returned to New York City, NY. In 1968 Dr. King asked Angelou to organize a march but before they could organize King was killed on her 40th birthday. Angelou then wrote, produced, and narrated Blacks, Blues, Black!, a ten-part series of documentaries about the connection between blues music and black Americans' African heritage.

(Angelou hosting her documentary)

In 1969 Angelou wrote her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou’s movie Georgia,Georgia was released in 1972 and was the first screenplay written by a black woman. In 1973 Angelou married Welsh carpenter and ex-husband of Germaine Greer, Paul du Feu. Also in 1973 Angelou was nominated for a Tony Award. In 1977 Angelou appeared in a supporting role in the television miniseries Roots.

(Angelou in Roots)

During this period Angelou was given over thirty honorary degrees from colleges and universities from all over the world. In the late 1970’s Angelou met Oprah Winfrey before she became famous.

(Angelou being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey years after they first met)

In 1981 Angelou divorced. Also in 1981 Angelou accepted the lifetime Reynolds Professorship of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. In 1993 Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton, becoming the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. The recording of the poem won a Grammy Award.

(Angelou speaking at President Clinton’s inauguration)

In 1995 she delivered her second public poem “A Brave and Startling Truth”. In 1996 Angelou directed the film Down in the Delta. Also in 1996 she collaborated with Ashford & Simpson.

(Ashford (Left) & Simpson (Center) with Angelou (Right))

In 2002 Angelou wrote her book A Song Flung Up to Heaven. In 2008 Angelou supported Hillary Clinton for president, later she supported Barack Obama.

(President Barack Obama (Top) with Angelou (Bottom))

In 2010 Angelou donated her personal papers and career memorabilia to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. The last course Angelou taught at Wake Forest was in 2011. In 2013 Angelou published the book Mom & Me & Mom. On May 28th, 2014 Angelou passed away due to poor health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86 years old.

(Angelou’s funeral)

Today is the 3rd anniversary of her death. Take time to remember this great poet today.

Books by Maya Angelou

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)
• Gather Together in My Name (1974)
• Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976)
• The Heart of a Woman (1981)
• All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986)
• A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002)
• Mom & Me & Mom (2013)

Videos of Maya Angelou

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqo50LSZ0  “And Still I Rise”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC_scsKVEHA  “"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" - Conversations with Oprah: Maya Angelou, 1993 - OWN”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQQThtav41o  “Maya Angelou's Inaugural Poem (1993)”