Dick Gregory Raps with Students: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of Dick Gregory with students at Adelphi University.

Gregory is pictured in the center of the image, sitting in a chair amongst a group of students in a classroom. He wears a suit and is sitting sideways in the chair, turned to face a young woman standing behind the chair. His proper right elbow is resting on the back of the chair, his hand held up, fingers slightly splayed. His other hand rests between his knees. The young woman faces Gregory, her proper left hand resting on the back of the chair next to him, a bundle of papers held against her chest with proper left arm. Her face is partially obscured by her hair. A group of other students surround the two. A young man sits in the same row as Gregory, one chair away, turned to face Gregory and the camera. He wears a zippered jacket with stripes down the shoulders and sleeves and holds a bundled coat in his arms. The other students stand, most either wearing or holding coats, their attention on Gregory. In the background, other rows of chairs are visible and a few other students. On the verso is an adhesive label with the Eyejammie.com logo and [Title: Dick Gregory Raps with Students / Photographer: Harry Allen] printed in black text.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: early 1980s
• Photograph by: Harry Allen, American, born 1964
• Subject of: Dick Gregory, American, 1932 - 2017
• Subject of: Adelphi University, American, founded 1896
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 7/8 × 13 15/16 in. (27.7 × 35.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 8 9/16 × 12 7/8 in. (21.8 × 32.7 cm)
• Place captured: Garden City, Nassau County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Gesture
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Youth
• Object number: 2015.132.27
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Harry Allen Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.