Actor, stand-up, producer and sometime radio host, Kenny Robinson is a comedy legend in his own right. But he’s also a champion of urban comedy, producing and hosting the monthly Nubian Disciples All-Black Comedy Revue, which has given many black (and non-black) performers a crack at one of the toughest but most rewarding gigs around. Robinson hosts Harbourfront’s Ebony And Ivory Comedy Jam Saturday (February 5). See listing.
Who’s your favourite black trailblazer?
That’s a hard one. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali (more for the man than the boxer), almost every jazz musician. The one leading the pack right now is Jackie Robinson. He was an officer in the U.S. Army and fought Jim Crow laws when he saw that German POWs were given better treatment than black GIs. My son wears number 42 on his baseball uniform.
Any black history makers we should know more about?
As a comedian, I wish more comics were hip to Dick Gregory, who titled his first book Nigger. He was the first black comic to perform at the Playboy Club. He was doing politically and socially significant material 45 years ago that still stands the test of time. He did more than tell jokes. He had his head busted open marching with Martin Luther King, got thrown in jail protesting the evils of racism, war, poverty and apartheid. He was shot during the Watts riots when he went out into the streets to chill and reason with the youth. He walked it like he talked it.
How do you mark Black History Month?
I tend to avoid doing Black History Month shows for black promoters, as history proves them not likely to pay me until April or May. On the other hand, during the past couple of years I have been speaking with high school students for Black History Month – so I use the time to learn more about history.
For example, Wilfrid Laurier wanted to pass legislation banning the immigration of blacks, based on the notion that we were “not suited for the climate of Canada.” So I tell kids to pull out a $5 bill, look at the picture of the man on the bill and know that he didn’t want them to be here. Who won that one?
