Annual comedy show at President Casino
The St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation, in conjunction with the President Casino, will host the Dick Gregory Comedy Reception at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 27 at the President Casino St. Louis Riverfront as a kickoff to the annual Gateway Football Classic Weekend.
A native of St. Louis, Dick Gregory is a renowned African-American comedian and civil rights activist whose social satire changed the way America received provocative humor.
Gregory entered the national comedy scene in 1961 when Chicago’s Playboy Club booked him as a replacement for a white comedian, “Professor” Irwin Corey. Until that booking, Gregory had worked smaller clubs with predominantly black audiences. Gregory’s show was so successful that the Playboy Club contracted with Gregory for three years and, by 1962, he had become a nationally known headline performer, selling out nightclubs, making numerous national television appearances, and recording popular comedy albums.
Gregory drew on current events, especially the racial issues, for much of his material and also spent time practicing what he preached in his comedy act. He participated in marches and parades to support a range of causes, including opposition to the Vietnam War, world hunger, and drug abuse. In addition, Gregory fasted in protest more than 60 times, once in Iran, where he fasted and prayed in an effort to urge the Ayatollah Khomeini to release American embassy staff that had been taken hostage. The Iranian refusal to release the hostages did not decrease the depth of Gregory’s commitment; he weighed only 97 lbs. when he left Iran.
Proceeds from ticket sales for the comedy show benefit the foundation’s scholarship program. To date, the foundation has allocated more than $2 million toward full four-year scholarships for African American youth to attend historical black colleges and universities. More than 60 students have graduated from HBCU’s as a result of the program.
The foundation’s major fundraising event is the annual American Family Insurance Gateway Football Classic which will feature Langston University and Stillman College at the Edward Jones Dome at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 30.
Tickets for the Dick Gregory Comedy Show are $25 each and are available by calling the St. Louis Gateway classic Sports Foundation at 314.621.1994.