Dick Gregory, best-selling author, comedian, and activist, is coming to Little Rock to lead a discussion about the documentary film “COINTELPRO: The FBI’s War on Black America,” from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at the Mosaic Templar Center.

The 2010 documentary offers historical perspective on the measures initiated by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI that aimed to discredit black political figures of the late 1960s and early 1970s, according to its filmmakers. Cointelpro refers to the official FBI Counter Intelligence Program carried out to disrupt black civil rights movements.

Admission is free.

Please note: According to Mosaic Templars, reservations are now full. However, seating and ticket reservations are guaranteed only until 7 p.m. on the day of the event. After that time, seating and ticket reservations may be voided, and remaining seating will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“An Evening with Dick Gregory” is presented by Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and the Conyers Institute of Public Policy. The UALR Institute on Race and Ethnicity joins these two organizations and others as sponsors.

More about Dick Gregory

Gregory has championed numerous causes throughout his career and was intimately involved in the Civil Rights Movement. When Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini took the staff at the American Embassy as hostages, Gregory fasted and prayed for their release and weighed only 97 pounds by the time he left Iran.

Gregory began his career in comedy in the late 1950s. He, along with his peers Nipsey Russell, Bill Cosby, and Godfrey Cambridge, soon began to revolutionize comedy. They abandoned the minstrel tradition and its stereotypical characterizations of African-Americans.

Many critics agree that Gregory’s social satire is responsible for changing the way white Americans perceive African-American comedians. His style has been described as detached, ironic, and satirical.

Other event sponsors include The National Park Service–Central High National Historic Site, Beautiful Productions, UALR William H. Bowen School of Law, New Millennium Church, Arkansas Coalition for Peace and Justice, and Law Students for Peace and Justice.