Dick Gregory, Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle, W. Kamau Bell, there is a rich history of Black comedians addressing racial injustice, and Mark Kendall is among them.
The Atlanta-based comedian and Dad’s Garage ensemble actor has released several comedic videos addressing systemic racism in America (and specifically pertaining to Georgia). Some of the skits originated from his 2014 Dad’s Garage one-man show “The Magic Negro and Other Blackness.” This show premiered at Dad’s Garage and won a Reiser Lab Grant award from Alliance Theatre for professional development.
Kendall has performed the show across the nation. Since his original performance, he has altered the skits to fit into our current sociopolitical climate. These videos address current issues including Confederate monuments, Aunt Jemima, voter suppression, and Black Lives Matter protests.
Kendall said he feels that comedy is a great way to open a dialogue with people of opposing viewpoints, “The thing that is cool about comedy is that, if you can get them to laugh, usually laughter comes from a place of understanding. Those are perhaps the beginning steps of someone changing their mind.”
His latest video “A Lebron Solution for Confederate Monuments” was released July 14.
