Dick Gregory was one of the freest black men I have ever known.
For American blacks of Gregory’s generation, freedom took some figuring out. But Gregory, who died Aug. 19 at age 84, knew that real freedom can come only from real truth. Sometimes he masked the truth with a joke, but you were always going to get the truth.
Gregory once told me about the time Martin Luther King Jr., with a tear in his eye, told Gregory that he knew he was soon going to die. Gregory, trying to lighten King’s load, shot right back, “Better you than me, Martin!”
But Gregory didn’t just tell jokes, he fought for justice. He was loved and respected by the lions of the civil rights movement because he wasn’t afraid to tarnish his brand by getting arrested right alongside them. There were many days he went fresh from his jail cell straight to the stage. And killed.
In so doing, he won the affection of black America and the respect of white America and somehow managed to make us all laugh.
Smiley is a TV host and author
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Melinda French Gates Is Going It Alone
- What to Do if You Can’t Afford Your Medications
- How to Buy Groceries Without Breaking the Bank
- Sienna Miller Is the Reason to Watch Horizon
- Why So Many Bitcoin Mining Companies Are Pivoting to AI
- The 15 Best Movies to Watch on a Plane
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com