Civil rights activist and comedian Dick Gregory’s presentation for the commemoration of Marin Luther King Jr. Day ended differently than many audience members might have expected when a shouting match broke out during a Q&A at the McKimmon Center on Monday night. 

During his presentation titled “The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Activism in the 21st Century,” Gregory spoke about different racial stereotypes. However, according to one man in the audience, Gregory went too far when he began joking about stereotypes related to sexual performance.

Togbah Push Wleh, a graduate student in teaching, was disgruntled that Gregory was excessively joking at an event intended to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and voiced his opinion during the heated Q&A session after the speech. 

“I came here to learn about the life of this great man, and you are up here making jokes about Viagra,” Push Wleh said. “It’s not the way to show this man respect.”

Gregory refuted his statement, arguing that Push Wleh missed the point. He said that making jokes is a way of honoring King by telling the truth and not ignoring issues to make everybody feel comfortable.

Other attendees agreed with Gregory and enjoyed his presentation, but thought that speech could have been placed more emphasis on King.

Cynthia White, a Raleigh resident, said that the program could have addressed some topics differently, but was still informative and interesting overall.

“I am not sure if it met my expectations,” White said. “I would have liked to hear more about his involvement with King and role that he played in the civil rights movement.” 

At the beginning of the event, Julian Cobb, vice president of the N.C. State African-American Cultural Center, introduced the keynote speaker and addressed the purpose for gathering on Monday night. 

“This is an opportunity for N.C. State to come together to honor Martin Luther King,” Cobb said.

Gregory aimed to honor King by sharing personal experiences that demonstrate the life and legacy of the celebrated civil rights leader. 

“I knew him,” Gregory said. “He didn’t say one think on T.V. that when they turned off the camera he’d say something else. Thank you Dr. King.”

Gregory repeated phrases such as “Thank you Dr. King,” and “The movement isn’t over,” throughout the presentation to add emphasis to the everlasting effects of King’s work as well as the need to continue fighting for the cause. 

He also used a signature style of blunt humor to bring attention to the mission of King 60 years ago and how it relates to civil rights issues still facing African-Americans today, such as white supremacy, racism and sexism.

“White people are lucky,” Gregory said. “When you finally got a black president, you got one that tolerates all ya’ll. If I was president, the first thing I’d do is tear up the rose garden and put in a watermelon patch.” 

Areon Mobasher, a freshman in the First Year College, said that he has long been a fan of Gregory’s work, and the presentation met and exceeded all of his expectations.

“It cut deep,” Mobasher said. “I read his book Nigger when I first started learning about the civil rights movement in grade school, but hearing him talk about his experience in person was incredible, and I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Gregory is the author of several books. Among his most famous are Nigger, his autobiography, and Write Me In!, a novel about running as a write-in candidate in the 1968 presidential election. He has remained a political activist ever since.

Gregory began his political involvement in the 1960s. He performed and spoke in Selma, Ala., prior to the Freedom Day Voter registration drive. The drive mobilized 300 Dallas County blacks to line up at the voter registration office by joining the forces of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Dallas County Voters League. 

The event was hosted by the N.C. State African American Cultural Center.