Author * Activist * Philosopher * Comedian * Actor * Recording Artist
* Nutrionist * Anti-Drug Crusader
Dick
Gregory is a brilliant comedian, leading civil and human rights activist, well-received
author of 15 books, recording artist with seven records, television and film personality,
leading nutritionist, veteran of over 100 fasts, and man totally committed to
non-violent social change. Behind this man are his wife, Lillian, and their ten
children.
Mr. Gregory's contemporaries included Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm
X, Medgar Evers, President John F. Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy. Being one of the
few Movement leaders from the 1960s still alive, Mr. Gregory is literally a walking
history book.
In the spirit of the African oral tradition, brought to America
in 1619 when the first enslaved Africans arrived in the colonies, Mr. Gregory
speaks the truth about racism, sexism, and violence in America. One thing is certain
about a Dick Gregory lecture; you are going to hear that which is not spoken elsewhere.
Mr. Gregory's candor, combined with his world-class political satire and humor,
makes him one of the most highly sought lecturers on the college circuit year
after year. Like the prophets of old, Mr. Gregory has become the conscience of
America, who has come to cleanse this country's soul of racism and the vestiges
of slavery.
Born on October 12, 1932, in St. Louis, MO, Dick Attended Sumner High School
where he became a track star and President of his senior class. And it was at
Sumner that his activism began when he was denied the Missouri State Mile Championship
Title in 1951 because he was black. As one of the fastest milers in the country,
he received over 100 track scholarship offers from various universities. In the
end he chose Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC).
In the area of global hunger, Mr. Gregory spent over a million dollars researching
a nutritional solution. Starting in 1974, he developed the 4X Formula, a nutritional
formula that requires no cooking or refrigeration. To call attention to world
hunger, Mr. Gregory ran from Los Angeles to New York City in 1976, averaging 50
miles per day for 71 days. During this time, he consumed only his 4X Formula.
In 1981, he sponsored research on the effects of starvation on the human body
by having doctors monitor his body during a 70 day fast in New Orleans. After
starving himself for these 70 days, Mr. Gregory consumed only 4X Formula and proceeded
to run and walk the 80 miles to Baton Rouge, LA, against his doctors' advice.
He did this to prove to the world's health community that a starving person needs
nutrition more than food.
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2002 Honorees>>> Carl McCall | Dick Gregory
