Black Is The New White, A Memoir by Paul Mooney

I don’t remember where I first heard Paul Mooney, but I was intrigued from the on-set. His humor is racially charged and he tells it like he sees it which is mostly “like it is” but he - pardon my expression - “has the balls” to say what we won’t.  Born in Louisiana in 1941, he has witnessed some racially motivated stirrings in his life. Some of them first hand like when he was pulled over and asked was he on probation and does the owner know that he has their car. He was also pulled over (not driving) while in a car with two white women and he is the only person the cops ask for ID.  I really do believe that only black are subject to this kind of harassment.

This story is his memoir about trying to make it in Hollywood while keeping his sense of who he is, a black man, and not be watered-down or censured because he is black.

At first, he talks about Richard Pryor which I found interesting because I read a story by Rain Pryor – Richard’s daughter and for a second, I was wondering was this story about Richard Pryor?  Richard Pryor and Paul Mooney were close friends and you would have thought they were brothers.

Both men are striving for something.

Laced with a few “linguistically challenged” jokes, Paul gives you an idea of how hard it was for blacks in the entertainment industry back in the 60s.  

Some of his comments that stick out for me are:

1.     White people judge black people by how articulate we are

2.     To be racist is like sticking a knife into a person’s soul.

Throughout the book, the author quips “Racism trumps capitalism”.

You will have to read the story to find out what he means.