… and while I’m sure it comes with a little rhythm (seeing as how he’s kept the beat of life so long), NORMAN’s SOUL is amazing. Yes! I’m talking about the creator of MAUDE, The JEFFERSON’S and ALL IN THE FAMILY. I grew up on these shows in syndication. Had they not been on television, I may not have ever noticed some socially distinct differences in cultures. Some made me laugh as a youth and others (often times) made me wonder why anyone would take pleasure in scripting such bleak views of life and the struggle – especially, tapping into and playing off of the struggle of civil rights and inequality.

“If I don’t laugh, it’ll make me cry,” — when I was about 7-years old, I heard my BigMomma say these words while watching what I thought was a comedy show – in fact, her favorite show…