It's the last day of Black History Month '06 (arguably the best yet), so I thought I'd share with you my Black History Month bit, first performed EXACTLY one year ago at Soho Tea and Coffee in Washington, D.C. There was a black couple sitting in the front row that night. I noticed them as I walked on to the stage, and I especially noticed how the husband did not clap when the host announced my name (it is customary for an audience to applaud a comedian coming to the stage). I admired the man's stoicism and the way he rested his head on his right hand as if to say, "Don't even think about getting racial up in here." But if you've ever seen me perform, you know that I don't bother with little things like sizing up the crowd or playing to the room, so I went full steam ahead, leading with the Black History Month joke. And the response from the prominently-situated black couple? Rousing. The man laughed particularly hard and even clapped a little. It was at that very moment that I decided I would no longer confine my celebration of black history to the twenty-eight days in February. Take a look at the Rogowsky calendar - every month is Black History Month.

In elementary school, Black History Month was a really big production, wasn't it? The classrooms were full of posters, there were parades up and down the halls, the fifth grade put on Rosa Parks: The Musical! But when you get to high school, no one gives a shit. Black History Month is condensed into the first five minutes of February 1st:

"Ok, here's the deal. Harriet Tubman freed the slaves, George Washington Carver invented the peanut, MLK had a dream, and O.J. didn't do it. Any questions? Moooving onto Algebra..."


P.S. Another e-mail was sent to Mr. Tapley. I am eagerly awaiting his reply!