WILMINGTON — The past few weeks have seen tensions run high across the state as people hashed out the topic of racism, especially in regard to Confederate Monuments.
The conversation can be deafening, but one group of Wilmington comedians are working to build fellowship through laughter, and they’ve scheduled a comedy show to prove that there’s “No Hate in the 910.”
The event is being led by comedian Cliff Cash, who said the “No Hate” event will feature “some of Wilmington’s best comedians” in a show of solidarity against racism, hate and bigotry in the Port City, as well as benefiting those in need.
“If I’ve learned anything over the past couple of years, it’s that it’s infinitely more important to focus on the seed of the positive often found in what we see as negative,” Cash said. “It is important to know that for every white supremacist filled with fear and pain, (because) that’s what that is, there are countless people filled with compassion and empathy.”
A seed of positive
In an effort to generate that “seed of the positive,” 100 percent of the proceeds from this show will go toward Wilmington’s Interfaith Refugee Ministry (IRM), a non-profit group that works to provide “individuals who’ve lost everything, and often everyone, with food, shelter, and resources to build a future.”
This is a cause that’s near to Cash’s heart. Over the past year, he’s worked through his “THIS ISN’T FUNNY” project to raise money across the United States, raising $1,740 in Wilmington for the IRM, as well as $700 in Austin, Texas, to benefit Refugee Services of Texas.
According to Cash, most of the individuals and families who come to the area through refugee resettlement programs have spent the better part of two decades in refugee camps with dirt floors and tarps for roofs, and no running water or electricity.
“Interfaith Refugee Ministry in Wilmington sets up refugee families with a nice safe place to live, groceries, furniture, pots, pans and plates, English lessons, rides to job interviews, help with bus routes, tutors for kids and so much more,” he said. “This is an agency that is working all day every day to make a real and tangible difference for displaced people right here where we all live.
“Like all good causes, they are underfunded and on a shoestring budget. These extra donations make a big impact,” he said.
The event will be held Sunday, Sept. 10, at Dead Crow Comedy Room, 265 N. Front St., in downtown Wilmington. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.
“This will be a chance for 100 people to laugh together and enjoy humor and the present moment knowing that the money you paid to get in will help to provide meals, homes and resources for people who have lost literally everything, and some who never had anything to lose,” Cash said.
For information, visit deadcrowcomedy.com.
Get in touch with Reporter Cory Mannion: follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or send an email at cory@localvoicemedia.com.
