This year friends will pay tribute to an icon, Mr. Dick Gregory, as he celebrates his 80th birthday. For decades Mr. Gregory has been on the forefront, as an entertainer, activist, speaker, actor, author, health nutritionist and social commentator.
On June 29, 2012 at 7:00p.m. at Harwood 609 Restaurant, Mr. Gregory, who has been a regular at the annual Don’t Believe the Hype Celebrity Weekend for the past 17 years, will be saluted at a dinner and show.
On many other occasions Mr. Gregory has traveled to the Metroplex to support organizations and programs. The birthday celebration is an opportunity to show him some love. There’s a fun-filled evening planned with special entertainment, including opera singer Ivan Tolbert, country/western sensation IMAJ, actress and Apollo legend Kiki Shepard, comedians Phyllis Yvonne Stickney and D Ellis, and of course, you will hear from Mr. Gregory!
While his actual birth date is October 12, due to his very demanding schedule and because he is making his annual visit to Dallas for the Celebrity Bowl-a-thon weekend, organizers decided to seize the opportunity to honor Mr. Gregory.
Other celebrities attending the celebrity bowl-a-thon include: television journalists Amanda Fitzpatrick, Steve Pickett, Ester Davis, Cheryl “Action” Jackson, and Giselle Phelps; radio personalities Dareia Tolbert, Sam Putney, Wendy Schofield, Antonio Johnson, Da Wolf, Gary with Da Tea, Dianne Gibson, The Chaplain, Nicole Barrett, Vincent “Heartbreak” Tucker and Andrew Whigham; activist Joyce Ann Brown, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, stylist to the stars – Shereese; Constable Derick Evans; journalist Gordon Jackson, and a host of others
There’s also a commemorative book and you can purchase an ad to show your appreciation to this husband and father of 10.
The annual celebrity bowl-a-thon is at USA Bowl, 10920 Composite Drive in Dallas.
Mr. Gregory was on the frontline in the 60s during the Civil Rights Era; today he continues to be a “drum major for justice and equality.” He has been a candidate for president of the United States and he has marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in addition to enjoying relationships with some of the most powerful and influential men and women in the world.
Mr. Gregory’s social satire changed the way white Americans perceived African American comedians since he first performed in public. Mr. Gregory entered the national comedy scene in 1961 when Chicago’s Playboy Club (as a direct request from publisher Hugh Hefner) booked him as a replacement for white comedian, ‘Professor’ Irwin Corey.
Mr. Gregory’s activism continued into the 21st Century. In response to published allegations that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had supplied cocaine to predominantly African American areas in Los Angeles, thus spurring the crack epidemic, Gregory protested at CIA headquarters and was arrested. In 1992 he began a program called “Campaign for Human Dignity” to fight crime in St. Louis neighborhoods.
In 1973, the year he released his comedy album Caught in the Act, Mr. Gregory moved with his family to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he developed an interest in vegetarianism and became a nutritional consultant. In 1984 he founded Health Enterprises, Inc., a company that distributed weight loss products. In 1987 Mr. Gregory introduced the Slim-Safe Bahamian Diet, a powdered diet mix, which was immensely profitable.
Mr. Gregory is in high demand as a speaker.
To reserve your tickets and join in the celebration, log on to www.dontbelievethehype.org or call 972.572.0088.
