To appreciate the groundbreaking achievement this comedy pairing was you really must read the article in its original context as published nationally through the Bell-McClure Syndicate that brought entertainment news to local papers throughout the nation.
Click here to read the article as it appeared in the Milwaukee Journal. The same edition of this paper includes an article asking if it is a good idea for families to choose to live in integrated neighborhoods. Our country has come so far since that time thanks in part to the work of Steve Rossi and Slappy White as one of the very first interracial comedy teams.
Slappy White passed away in 1995. You can read more about him in the book:
Black comedians on Black comedy: how African-Americans taught us to laugh By Darryl Littleton he had this to say about Slappy
Several writers of this day referred to Slappy White as “the father of the integrated joke.” Such a reputation positioned him to become one of the first comics of black descent to be booked into the white sanctuary – the Catskills, He later partnered with white comedian Steve Rossi, did numerous television guest-starring appearances, and toured extensively.
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