Lillian Gregory is the widow of Dick Gregory, a civil rights activist known for his political stand-up comedy. But while Dick’s life and legacy have been chronicled, the world doesn’t necessarily know the rock that held him down.
When he was arrested, Lillian was often arrested, too. When he was fingerprinted and sent to jail, so was she. And when she wasn’t out in the streets or on the road with her husband, she was at home in Chicago, IL — and then Plymouth, MA — raising their 10 children.
Lillian developed Alzheimer’s disease shortly after Dick’s death in 2017. Two of their daughters, Ayanna Gregory and Paula Cenac, sat down with Lillian to help her remember her life and legacy, and talk about what it was like “growing up Gregory.”
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Originally aired February 21, 2025, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
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