Wyllisa Bennett

CALL ME WYLLISA

I’M ROOTING FOR EVERYBODY BLACK!

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Photo courtesy of BlackFilm.com via Facebook.

Celebrities say the darndest things.

I love it when celebrities are candid, and say things off the cuff. I wondered who would be so bold as to say what everyone in Black America was thinking while watching the Emmys.

Well, that award goes to actress Issa Rae, the star of HBO’s critically-acclaimed tv show “Insecure.”  She echoed the sentiments of probably every Black person who stayed up to watch the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night. When asked her favorite picks on the red carpet of Emmy night, she candidly remarked,  “I’m rooting for everybody Black!” I just cracked up when I heard that. Didn’t you?! I mean, I think the same thing when I’m watching “Family Feud.”

Let me be clear:  Just because I’m pro-Black, it doesn’t mean that I don’t want other folks to win. I’m glad actress Elizabeth Moss finally took home an Emmy for her role in Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” I think she should have won one for the role of Peggy Olson on “Mad Men,” but I was excited that she nabbed the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series … IF of course, Viola Davis didn’t win. Moss was my second choice. I love her work, along with other nominated actors like Nicole Kidman, Robin Wright, Felicity Huffman, Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon, and Ellie Kemper as well as Liev Scheiber, Kevin Spacey, Milo Ventimiglia, Jeffrey Tambor, and Robert De Niro – just to name a few.

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“Last time I was down South, I walked into this restaurant, and this White waitress came up to me and said, ‘We don’t serve colored people here.’ I said, ‘That’s all right, I don’t eat colored people. Being me a whole fried chicken.'”
– a joke by Dick Gregory

REST IN POWER! DICK GREGORY

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R.I.P.
1932-2017

#StayWoke

In a full circle moment, I had a chance to meet the legendary comedian and social activist Dick Gregory not once, but twice in my lifetime.

He was a pioneering comic of the 1960s who used his racially-charged comedy to bring attention to racism and social justice. Before there was Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, and Eddie Murphy, there was Dick Gregory. He kicked the door open as one of the first crossover comedians, and was the first Black comic to sit on the couch of the “Tonight Show” with Jack Parr. He also became an outspoken activist for the Civil Rights Movement, and used his brand of comedy for social and political activism. He marched. He protested. He staged hunger strikes. Gregory was a comedic lightening rod! In 2015, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A warrior to the very end, award-winning director Ava DuVernay shared one of his final posts, encouraging all of us to #StayWoke.

 

UPDATE:

TV One live streamed the memorial services of Dick Gregory. View it here.

https://tvone.tv/dick-gregory-funeral-coverage/

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY Remembering Comedian Dick Gregory!

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Long time, no see. Sorry for the long hiatus, but my day job got in the way.

I thought this would be perfect time to “re-launch” my blog with a #ThrowbackThursday tribute to comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, who passed away on August 19, 2017 at the age of 84 in Washington, DC. A memorial service, celebrating his life and legacy will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2017 at the City of Praise Ministries in Landover, Md. It’s only fitting that I pick up from where it all began. See, what you don’t know is … I started my career as a writer/journalist with my very first celebrity interview with the legendary Gregory!

If you’re not familiar with Gregory, he was a pioneering comic from the 1960s who used his racially-charged comedy to bring attention to racism and social justice. Before there was Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, and Eddie Murphy, there was Dick Gregory. Called the “Jackie Robinson of Comedy,” he kicked open doors as one of the first crossover comedians, and the first Black comic to sit on the couch of the “Tonight Show” with Jack Parr. He also became an outspoken voice for the Civil Rights Movement, and used his brand of comedy for social and political activism. He marched. He protested. He staged hunger strikes. Gregory was a comedic lightening rod! In 2015, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A warrior to the very end, in one of his final posts, he encouraged all of us to #StayWoke.

#ThrowbackThursday Me and comic/activist Dick Gregory in 2015 at Hope Flood’s 4th Annual Comics Rock! Convention in LA.

Meeting Dick Gregory, Twice in a Lifetime!

I was an English major, a senior at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), and the editor of the college newspaper, The Campus Echo. I was on deadline for a story, but I didn’t have one. I guess I was suffering from writer’s block or something. Anyway, it so happened that staff members of the school’s newspaper was heading to New York City to cover the sights and sounds of the 16th annual Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Football Classic, featuring NCCU vs. Grambling State. The game was held in Yankee Stadium on September 20, 1986 in front of thousands of fans. I promised our advisor, Professor Kip Branch — a mentor, even to this day — that I would find “something” to write about in New York City. Imagine his surprise when I came back to school with an interview from DICK GREGORY!! Although our team lost the football game, I scored an interview of a lifetime!

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R.I.P. DICK GREGORY

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IT’S OFFICIAL! I’M A MEMBER OF #BLACKTWITTER

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black twitter soul logo

Artwork by John Ira Jennings on Twitter @JIJennings

There I was, minding my own business on Twitter, and watching the first GOP debate on FOX News, offering live commentary via my tweets on everything from Donald Trump’s views on immigration and “stupid leaders;” to trying to understand why Dr. Ben Carson is running for president, and not in an operating room; and wondering how many bundles of weave was in moderator Megyn Kelly’s hair. (Because I’m so obsessed with hair, I was really mesmerized by her long, shiny blond hair all night long.)

But, I digress! I was part of the seven million folks engaging socially on Twitter with tweets about “The Donald Trump Show” – I mean, the GOP debate, featuring a bunch of guys who dressed and talked like men on an episode of AMC’s “Mad Men.”

And lo’ and behold, what a treat it was to be feature in a story by “Tea and Breakfast,” as part of its coverage on Black Twitter. I’m so honored to be inducted into this fabulous fraternity of African American social media influencers. Check out the story below.

http://www.teabreakfast.com/black-twitter-best-gop-debate-moderator/2/

My lovely colleague, celebrity publicist Dominic Friesen was so kind to share the news with his followers.

In other news, my hair story, “If You Ask Me, I’ll Let You Touch It,” got picked up on a couple of websites, like CurlyNuGrowth.com (Arts & Entertainment section) and the Hair Lovers Digest. I really appreciate the love! 

Don’t worry! I’m going to keep on ranting from the red carpet! After all, this wittiness can’t be wasted! 🙂

 

“With hair, heels and attitude, honey, I’m through the roof!” — RuPaul

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Thank you for reading my rantings from the red carpet! xo

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