Oh when will the ignorant humor epidemic end? You know, lame comedians perpetuating racial and ethnic stereotypes through lame shticks. We’ve seen it, we’ve heard it, and we still don’t think it’s very clever.

Fear not intelligent comedy fans! There are comedians out there who are making an effort to explore and celebrate their heritage on stage without being hacky. Better yet, there are groups of comedians joining forces to explore and celebrate their heritage without being hacky. One of those groups is The Black Comedy Project.

As explained on their site “there’s a difference between what people think “Black Comedy” is and what it actually happens to be. NYC Based comedians Baron Vaughn and Elon James White have reached out to comedians across the nation to finally let the world know that there’s very different voices within the community. Let us bring them to you.”

In addition to forming The Black Comedy Project online community, the group is collaborating on the very first The Black Comedy Experiment festival this week in New York City. The 3-day Festival will celebrate the diversity and brilliance that makes up “Black Comedy.” For 3 days they will be showcasing some of NYC’s best Solo Shows, Stand-Up, Sketch and more. Featuring comedians from NBC, MTV, VH1, HBO, BBC, BET and more.

The BCE-FEST is the culmination of Brooklyn Comedy Company’s work with “Shades of Black” and “The Black Comedy Project”. For the first time in NYC, a gathering of talent from across the spectrum of Black Comedy. Featured acts such as up and comer Baron Vaughn with his solo show “Mystery Up at Negro Creek” and Industry Veterans Leighann Lord, Rick Younger, Dean Edwards, Wali Collins, Marc Theobald and Mike Yard in “SOULED Out”. This is a weekend to take in a bevy of styles that all grow out of the Black Community.”

For more on The Black Comedy Project and ways to get involved visit http://theblackcomedyproject.com/