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Black sociopolitical comedian, entertains, challenges Stambaugh audience
YOUNGSTOWN
Black sociopolitical comedian and television personality, W. Kamau Bell, said the 2016 presidential race is like watching a car wreck in a tar field.
“Trump is a trouble-maker. If he was a kid, you’d put him in the dunce chair. I don’t even think he wants the job,” said Bell, host of the CNN docu-series, “United Shades of America.”
He brought his unique brand of humor, laced with the message that the United States is still racist, to Stambaugh Auditorium on Wednesday at the Youngstown State University Centofanti Symposium.
Bell also applauded San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for his taking a knee during the national anthem before games.
Kaepernick is protesting what he calls police harassment of blacks and other injustices involving people of color in the country.
Grabbing a chair, Bell, raised his right fist in a black power salute that was used by black athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics. “I’m with you, brother,” he said of Kaepernick.
The Centofanti Symposium, financed by the James and Coralie Centofanti Charitable Foundation, was established at YSU to bring outstanding speakers to the university and community, with the goal of raising consciousness about the challenges facing vulnerable groups in society.
Bell, interacting with about 50 students, police trainees and media members before his public presentation, said the black community wants to see cops “other than when the s--t hits the the fan.”
Describing the status between blacks and police, Bell said he was recently walking in Manhattan when a cop said hello.
“I said ‘WHAT,’” expecting some problem. All he wanted was to say he liked my show,” Bell said.
“Every community, black and white, wants cops; but that kind of reaction won’t change until we rebuild a relationship” and he put the onus of rebuilding that relationship on the police.
Bell said his purpose is to entertain while giving people something to think and talk about.
He said black people talk about white people all the time; but before white people can have a conversation with black people, they need to have a conversation among themselves to determine what they are.
“I think white people need to talk about white people for a while before taking it out to other people. Black, Asian and Hispanics are all having white conversations,” he said.
Bell, who is best known for his critically acclaimed FX comedy series, wanted to be a comedian, but said he gets his political/social bent from his mother.
“My mom always talked about race. Every month at our house was Black History Month,” he said.
An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people came to the North Side auditorium to hear Bell, some because they know and like his work, and others out of curiosity.
Vander Jones and Phil Burney, both of Youngstown, said they came to see what he had to say. “I like his point of view on political and social subjects,” Burney said.
James Shirilla, a YSU student, was there with his friend, Paige Headlee of Boardman. Shirilla said he was assigned by a teacher to attend Bell’s show.
Diane Brown of Youngstown, who was at Bell’s performance with the Women in the Spirit Red Hat Society Chapter, said she, too, supports Kaepernick’s actions.
“I’m all for freedom. It’s America, where everyone should all have freedom to express ourselves. Maybe he felt it was his way of being heard,” Brown said.
Mark and Renee Trombitas of Poland, who have watched Bell on television, described the comedian as “funny, socially aware ... a very smart man. His message is social tolerance ... get to know people before you judge.”
Bell has a serious message and a serious sense of humor, said Bob and Ann Beebe of Poland, who called The Vindicator after the show to say they enjoyed it.
“It made some people think about things. I think we, as a couple, will speak up more,” Beebe said.