W. Kamau Bell
Comedian |
Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell
W. Kamau Bell is one of the fastest rising socio-political comics in the United States. A founding member of the stand-up comedy collective “Laughter Against the Machine,” he is also co-host of “The Field Negro Guide to Arts & Culture” podcast with Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid. His recent stand up album, Face Full of Flour, was named one of the Top 10 Best Comedy Albums of 2010 by iTunes and Punchline Magazine. Kamau is best known for his critically acclaimed solo show The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour, which was a Time Out NY critic’s pick in the 2010 NY Comedy Festival and a comedy pick in The Guardian during his 2011 run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This summer, Kamau will star in his own late night comedy series on the FX Network, executive produced by Chris Rock.
Presentations from Facing Race 2012
Like Racism, But Funnier: Social Change Through Internet Jokes
Jokes are the original "viral" medium, changing minds and sneaking in new ideas since the invention of language. But our era's jokes are often at the expense of people of color and other disenfranchised folks ? and they're being made by people who should know better. How do we reclaim comedy from the status quo? In this no-holds-barred workshop, three of your favorite social justice joke scientists lay out case studies and strategies for making people laugh (and think), for putting dehumanizing comedy on blast, and for turning the inevitable backlash into positive change.
Speakers: W. Kamau Bell, Negin Farsad, Samhita Mukhopadhyay