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Stephen Colbert's incredible substitute for a beard of solidarity - VIDEO
Stephen Colbert doesn't normally get heavy on The Colbert Report, but when he does, boy, does he go all out. In last night's episode of the Report, Stephen staged one of the most touching displays of love to the picketing writers that I have seen since the start of the strike. Before introducing the night's guest, Ambassador Andrew Young, the last living member of Dr. Martin Luther King's inner circle, Stephen rolled a video celebrating Young's efforts in a certain strike in 1969. In Stephen's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, hundreds of black hospital workers went on strike, demanding fair pay, equal to their whiter counterparts. Young played a huge role in leading the community to support the workers. However, when he attempted to have some private negotiations with the hospital, the only administrator that was willing to speak with Young was a man named Dr. James Colbert, Stephen's father.
A good portion of the interview with Young was spent discussing Dr. Colbert's influence in the strike. I was really touched by the way Stephen was listening to the stories. For anyone that doesn't know, Stephen lost his father and two of his brothers in a plane crash when he was only ten years old, and I think maybe that's what made it so touching to me. Young also went on to say that he was Stephen's destiny and told him that he's the one that will end the writers' strike, just the way his father helped to end the hospital workers' strike. It was really an incredible moment that could have been topped only by a rousing rendition of "Let My People Go", lead by Stephen and backed by Andrew Young, Malcom Gladwell (the night's other guest), and the Harlem Gospel Choir.
Oh, wait. That's exactly what happened.
Yes, Stephen dedicated the song to all the striking writers, especially his own Report gang. As they sang on stage, the audience clapped along and pictures of the Report writers scrolled across the screen. It was so genuine and moving to see Stephen step out of character to show his love this way.
If you missed last night's episode, NoFactZone.net has a post with videos from the entire episode, so check it out.
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