Black History Month

Nigger: An Autobiography

Dick Gregory with Robert Lipsyte

Autobiography, 1964

The comedian and political activist Dick Gregory details his experiences growing up "not poor, just broke" in St. Louis, Missouri. He discusses his early struggles as an entertainer, his eventual success, and his active involvement in the civil rights movement. Gregory writes at length about his feelings towards his rarely present father and towards his mother, who raised six children while working as a domestic for wealthy white families. He tells of hustling for small change, washing dishes in return for food, and lying about his age to get a night job in a factory. In high school Gregory excelled in track, winning an athletic scholarship to Southern Illinois University. In 1959 he married Lillian Smith, and for the next two years Gregory, his wife, and their baby daughter lived hand-to-mouth as he hustled for engagements and honed his comic technique, distinguished by a satirical approach to racial issues. His big break came in 1961, when a one-night engagement at Chicago's Playboy Club led to a three-year contract. The final section of Gregory's story deals with his experiences in the early 1960s as a highly visible participant in civil rights demonstrations and rallies, including his several arrests. He ends with an expression of conviction that racial equality will one day be achieved.