Dick Gregory to speak Nov. 29 at Trabant Center

Noted comedian, author and activist Dick Gregory, whose career has taken him from stand-up comedy to championing human rights issues, will discuss "The World According to Dick Gregory," at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 29, in the Multipurpose Room in the Trabant University Center.

The 69-year-old St. Louis native is perhaps best known for his commitment to a variety of social causes, ranging from opposition to the Vietnam War to issues such as drug use and world hunger. Before his comedic talents landed him on the cover of Time magazine and an appearance on the Jack Paar Show, Gregory took advantage of his gifts as an athlete to escape the deep poverty of his youth by earning a scholarship to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, becoming the first member of his family to attend college.

After leaving college to join the U.S. Army, Gregory discovered a talent for comedy, hosting and performing in military bases before beginning his professional career in the Chicago nightclub circuit of the late 1950s, where he first gained national prominence as a comedian at the Playboy Club.

Inspired by the work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Gregory became more interested and involved in various social actions, and he fasted for many causes, including an effort to get the Ayatollah Khomeini to release American Embassy staff taken hostage in Iran.

As an author, Gregory became interested in political conspiracies, writing books such as Code Name Zorro: The Murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1979), which he coauthored with conspiracy theorist Mark Lane.

For addtional information on Gregory, visit [apbsspeakers.com].

The event is sponsored by the Cultural Programming Advisory Board (CPAB) and is open to the public. Tickets, available at the door, are $8 for the public, $5 for UD facultyand staff and free for students with an ID. For information, call the Center for Black Culture at 831-2991.