By Caroline Roosevelt
Contributing Writer

Chester County has a well-documented history of providing a place of refuge as part of the Underground Railroad. Any Chester County native will remember history classes touting, proudly, this contribution towards the fight for civil rights which, in its nascence, started by helping enslaved people escape to freedom. With somber remembrance of a time when life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness only applied to a very specific segment of the population, the legacy of the Underground Railroad illustrates how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to go. 

Juneteenth – now a nationally-observed holiday - provides the opportunity to take a break from the somber, celebrate the end of slavery in the United States.

On June 20th, Voices Underground, an organization of scholars artists and activists honoring the mission “to promote racial healing by elevating the story of the Underground Railroad through scholarly research, creative experiences, and historical memorialization” partnered with Longwood Gardens as a part of their celebration of Juneteenth with a stand up performance by comedian Preacher Lawson, who is currently on the road with his Dis Functional Family tour.

Lawson’s resume includes being a finalist on Season 12 of “America’s Got Talent,” “Britain’s Got Talent,” the NBC quarantine-themed sitcom “Connecting,” a segment on “The Tonight Show,” and a Las Vegas residency among other notable appearances and work. His act is a perfect embodiment of this years’ Voices Underground theme, “Black Joy.”

The seats at the outdoor venue were packed on a hot, but otherwise beautiful Friday evening. Lawson attracted a dedicated base of superfans to his performance, who made themselves known in audience banter towards the end of the performance. He opened up his performance with a story from his childhood, a period of his life when he moved all over the country, with stops that included Memphis Tenn. and Orlando, Fla. 

Lawson’s stories put him front and center in the family ring of the chaos that is now embedded in his childhood memory. 

“I used to pee in the bed a little,” he began, “so my mom said I can’t drink water after 7 p.m., so I would go to the bathroom and take my shoe off and use it as a cup and dip it in the toilet and drink it. I would flush it first though. I thought I was a genius….” until his older brother introduced him to the sink.

Preacher’s stage presence and charisma added sparkle to his stories, as he strutted across the stage impersonating the pride and conviction of his childhood self throughout the myriad of his ridiculous stories. His humor - observational, self-deprecating and witty - received howls from the audience. Lawson dipped into stories of his dating debacles, and his background in jiu-jitsu. (He’s a blue belt and in between shows, he makes time for competing).

Lawson also showed off his improvisational prowess, going off on tangents - a giant dragonfly landed on his mic in the middle of the show leading him to veer off unexpectedly. He connected with the audience, asking them about their background, their names, and even playfully ribbed a few. (My plus-one was seated in the wrong section, and she had to cross the atrium during his show to find me, and he immediately zeroed in on her, “You’re leaving during my best joke!” he chuckled.)

After the performance, the audience was invited to stay for the Q&A with Lawson that was moderated by Voices Underground Creative Director Greg Thompson. The format changed as the two were provided stools and chatted back and forth about Preachers’ childhood, what inspires his comedy and how he feels to be categorized as a “black comedian.”

 “I see myself as a good escape!” from the realities of the world, he responded. Asked what format he prefers for his comedy, television or standup, he resoundingly boomed, “Stand up!” as if there’s not even a question. For the packed house who attended his June 20 performance at Longwood Gardens, it wasn’t a question for them, either. 

To learn more about Voices Underground, visit www.voicesunderground.com.