African American comedy has had a substantial role in American culture from minstrel shows, vaudeville, blackface,[1] and coon songs to some of the world's most popular comedians, shows and filmmakers.
Darryl Littleton[2][3][4] and Mel Watkins have written about the subject.[5][6]Paul Beatty edited Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor (2006).[7]So Why We Laugh; Black Comedians in Black Comedy is a documentary film.[8] Dexter G. Gordon wrote about humor in African American discourse.[9]
^Littleton, Darryl (2006). Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN978-1-55783-730-1.[page needed]
^Watkins, Mel (1999). On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN978-1-55652-351-9.[page needed]
^Watkins, Mel (2002). African American Humor: The Best Black Comedy from Slavery to Today. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN978-1-55652-430-1.[page needed]
^Watkins, Mel (1994). On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying, and Signifying: the Underground Tradition of African-American Humor that Transformed American Culture, from Slavery to Richard Pryor. Simon & Schuster. ISBN978-0-671-68982-7.[page needed]