Well, That and My Lack of Talent Explains What Happened to My Resume

Entering the comedy world as a black man means you always stand out, even during off hours, such as one Christmas evening in New York at my first holiday comedy mixer. All of Gotham's comedic glitterati were there. I cornered a 'Daily Show' writer, doing my best to get the inside track on a possible actor/writer gig. We broached the subject of black correspondents. He told me that they 'tried a black guy once, but it didn't work out.'These experiences didn't leave me feeling good, but they did make me think more about being black. Better late than never, I guess.

That's what I was going to say.

Later on in the article, he explains that his parents, an OB-GYN and a literature professor, gave him every opportunity the fruits of the Civil Rights Movement and money could buy -- private schools, social interaction, an Ivy League education, etc. -- and that he took advantage of his opportunities, worked hard and earned a job on Madison Advenue, a lofty rung on the economic ladder, and a place in Greenwich Village -- all the things that can move a guy beyond the reaches of racial bigotry and the vestiges of slavery and Jim Crow.

Except they can't.

It's a lesson the upper-class black families hiring nannies learned last week and one he describes learning so well in this article (no black writers on the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, or SNL?). At least, they're learning. As he said, "Better late than never."