Preacher Moss has made a comedy career by trying to educate people. His performance at the IMU on Thursday, Oct. 15 dealt with the logic of racism in America; he describes himself as “an old black man in training.” Listen to Preacher Moss talk about what he focuses on during his performances and in life. (Audio by Jordan Ryder, edited by Lily Abromeit)

“I am an old black man in training.”

Preacher Moss set the tone for his hourlong performance with this opening line. His act was not just a comedy show but a lecture on the logic of racism in America.

“My life has always been about studying things that take you out of balance … I’m on stage trying to figure out the logic of it,” he said.

He has often focused on an issue and woven his comedy around trying to understand it.

The name Preacher comes his first comedy bit; as a kid he would do skits poking fun at his church’s reverend.

“[The reverend] was a good guy, but a terrible public speaker,” Moss recalled.

The name Preacher stuck, but Moss never went too preachy. Instead, he masterfully jumped between colorful anecdotes, such as antagonizing Klu Klux Klan members in online chatrooms to sobering moments of wisdom.

“It’s the same hustle,” Moss said in his act. “People will highlight the flaws, disregard the good, and make up what they don’t know.”

Moss’s comic career has been about trying to teach people. He said he considers his defining moment in comedy to be his “Allah Made Me Funny” tour in 2004, in which he focused on speaking to his fellow Muslims in America.

“My humor served a higher purpose … it bridged the Muslim community, got us to look at ourselves … you had an image issue of Muslims with Muslims,” he said.

Moss is the best standup act I have seen in a long time. Not only is he funny, he is also a master of conveying his lesson to the audience. I walked out of the show actually contemplating what he said: “One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not learning about a person.”