Comedian uses humor, personal stories to address racism, oppressoin
Written by Paola Everett, Feb 14, 2012, 0 Comments
Comedian and writer Bryant Moss, also known as “Preacher Moss,” made an appearance on campus as part of his “End of Racism” comedy and lecture tour. The event, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, was the first of two events planned in honor of Black History Month.
Moss, who has written for multiple shows including Saturday Night Live, took the stage on Thursday, Feb. 9, in his own tour. He has been visiting various college campuses. The comedy show and lecture used humor and life experiences to discuss deeper topics dealing with racism and oppression.
“Oppression is something systemic—you have to have in more than one area, education jobs, opportunities, livelihood—it permeates a lot more than just race,” Moss said.
The show was a success at getting students to think about unspoken issues such as racism, said Tabitha Raj, Office of Multicultural Affairs coordinator.
Moss talks about the comedic events that took place after visiting the chat room of a KKK website.
“We are constantly getting students from all walks of life. We have to be mindful of those students and we have to talk about it,” Raj said. “When you break down those walls and build relationships, there is nothing negative that can come out from that. It just builds more unity.” According to the 2010 USFSP Annual Report, the percentage of white and Hispanic students at the university is 76.6 percent, 9.9 percent is African American, and 7 percent are listed as “other.”
The show ended with the students participating in the “Five Fingers of Connectivity,” a recollection of all words that tie people together in the world as H-U-M-A-N. The show mixed real-life problems with laugher, and many students stayed after the presentation to discuss the topics further.
“I wish there were more people who were here to be exposed to this,” said student Jobin Abraham.
“He used comedy to actually tell a point at the end,” said student Julia Goins. “Even though it’s funny there is actually seriousness in the matter, but sometimes you just have to laugh at certain things.”
The Office of Multicultural Affairs will also be hosting “The World is my Home: The Life of Paul Robeson,” performed by Stogie Kenyatta. The one-man show reenacts the life of Paul Robeson, a son of an escaped slave who, today, is recognized as a great American singer, actor, athlete and political activist.
The performance will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at the Harbor Gallery from 6 to 8 p.m.
Photos by Daniel Mutter
