1. "Dick Gregory Receives A Star On The Walk Of Fame" In response to Reply # 0
It was more than half a century ago that Dick Gregory became the Jackie Robinson of stand-up comedy, arguably the first black comic to break through to the white American mainstream. Yet he’s only receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb. 2. Ask him why it took so long, and you’ll get a quick response.
“You know damn good and well why it took so long,” the 82-year-old chuckles. “I’ve been a bad boy.”
That’s one way of putting it. Another way would be to note that, at the height of his popularity, Gregory all but abandoned standup to become a full-time activist, a second major career change (he was a track-and-field star prior to trying his hand at comedy) that saw him stir up trouble for decades, once mounting a run for president, getting shot during the Watts riots, and staging a hunger strike in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis.
“I used to be an athlete, and I didn’t know there was a better feeling that a human being could feel, until I became a name in the entertainment field,” Gregory says. “And I didn’t know there was a feeling any better than that until I got hooked up with the civil-rights movement.”
2. "Bx Kids Beat 350 Teams to Create Math App, Featured in BHM Verizon Ad" In response to Reply # 0
Bronx Kids Who Beat 350 Teams In Country To Create Math App Will Be Featured in Black History Month Verizon Ad
Six 13 year old students from The Bronx who attend the Bronx Academy of Promise edged out 350 other teams across the country for a chance to create a math app in a contest sponsored by Verizon. Now these industrious Bronx children have an increased thirst for the STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering and mathematics) where people of color make up less than 10% of the workforce in this industry and they will also be featured in a Verizon ad that will run all month long for Black History Month.